Broiled Eggplant

I really like eggplant. It has a slightly salty/bitter taste to it (but not in a bad way) and can be prepared in many different ways. Tonight, based on a recipe from Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions, it was covered in a cilantro marinade and broiled. Simple but delicious. Even the husband, who is not a cilantro fan at all, really liked this and said he would eat it again.

Broiled Eggplant with Cilantro Marinade

1 local, organic eggplant - $1.00
1 bunch organic cilatro - $1.49
3 cloves garlic, chopped - $0.05 (I cheat and use chopped garlic from a jar from Costco)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil - $0.50
1 tsp sea salt - $0.05
1 tsp pepper - $0.01
1 pound organic frozen green beans - $1.24
drizzle extra virgin olive oil - $0.05
3 cloves garlic, chopped - $0.05
pinch salt - $0.01
1 cup organic quinoa $1.25

1. Chop eggplant into 3/8 inch disks and place on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and let sit an hour. Rinse and pat dry.
2. Put next 5 ingredients in a food processor/blender and blend until smooth.
3. Brush marinade onto one side of eggplant slices and broil until golden. Flip slices and brush other side. Broil until golden.
4. Meanwhile, combine quinoa with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until all the water is absorbed.
5. Steam green beans then drizzle with a little EVOO, the rest of the garlic, and the salt.

Total Cost: $5.40 for 3 servings (the quinoa technically made 4 servings but some of the 4th went to the kid and the rest went into making a bigger lunch portion for the husband)

While this was not the most delicious or elaborate meal ever, it certainly was good (and the husband could probably eat 2 pounds of green beans prepared this way just to let you know!) and something that I would order in a restaurant. Who says that eating healthy has to be nasty or expensive?