Eggplant Boats

I have been wanting to make this for a long time, but I just haven't had the time until now. It is a bit of a time consuming recipe, but it certainly is not difficult. I think this would be a great recipe to make for a dinner party or even a date night, because you can adjust it to serve as many people as needed! Likewise, you can change certain aspects of it, like switching out the mushrooms for a crumbled meat substitute if that is what you prefer. Also, feel free to add any other veggies and spices to the mix to make it your own!

When I made this, I had some technical difficulties while cooking the rice, so the rice turned out a bit crunchy, but the whole thing still tasted amazing. One eggplant boat was super filling for me and is probably best served as a dinner meal. It is also best served immediately; however, you can save it to reheat the next day. I hope you give this a try because it is super yummy!

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Eggplant Boat Recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 1 eggplant

- 1/2 cup canned fire-roasted tomatoes

- 1/2 cup brown rice

- 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth

- 8 oz white mushrooms, chopped small

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- fresh basil

- grapeseed oil

- salt and pepper

Steps:

1. Cook rice according to package directions, replacing water with the same amount of vegetable broth to add more flavor.

2. In the meantime, cut the stem off of the eggplant, then slice it in half longways.

3. Make deep cuts diagonally both ways through the flesh, but do not go through the skin.

4. Brush the flesh side with grapeseed oil and place the two halves face down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

5. Bake the eggplant for about 35 minutes, or until soft and browned on the flesh.

6. While the eggplant is roasting, heat about half a tbsp of oil in a pan with the mushrooms on medium high heat until the mushrooms cook down and the liquid evaporates.

7. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and stir to combine.

8. Add the cooked rice, salt, and pepper to the mixture and stir to combine.

9. Once the eggplant is done, scoop out the inside flesh, leaving just a thin layer as a "boat".

10. Add half of the eggplant flesh to the mixture and freeze the rest for another recipe.

11. Fill each empty eggplant half with the mixture and top with fresh, torn basil.

*Tip: If you don't have garlic, buy the can of tomatoes that already contains garlic!