Lunch: Grilled Eggplant Banh Mi Sandwich

Recipe by Ruth Cousineau Once grilled, eggplant comes into its full glory: tender, creamy flesh with a satisfying meatiness that makes it ideal for our Vietnamese-style Grilled Eggplant Banh Mi Sandwich.

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Miso

Health and fertility benefits of Grilled Eggplant Banh Mi Sandwich

Miso is extremely nutrient-dense and believed to alkalinize the body and stop the effects of carcinogens in the system.

Ingredients

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups julienne-cut peeled carrot (about 4 medium)
1 1/4 pounds eggplant
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup minced green onions
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons yellow miso (soybean paste)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 (16-ounce) French bread baguette, cut in half horizontally
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Thinly sliced jalapeño pepper (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 °.
Combine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add carrot; let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain.
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Cut eggplant stem off. Cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices; brush with oil. Grill 7 minutes or until tender, turning once.
Combine peanut butter, onions, ginger, miso, and juice in a bowl; stir well.
Hollow out top and bottom halves of bread, leaving a 1-inch-thick shell; reserve torn bread for another use. Place bread on a baking sheet, cut sides up. Bake at 375 ° for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Spread bottom half of bread with peanut butter mixture. Arrange eggplant evenly over peanut butter mixture. Arrange carrot mixture and cucumber evenly over eggplant; top with cilantro and jalapeño, if desired. Place top half of bread on sandwich. Cut into 5 equal pieces.

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