Grilled Eggplant Rolls

This recipe is reminiscent of the traditional Italian dish: Eggplant Rollitini. They have a lighter feel than the original dish, and skip the breading, so they are actually gluten-free. These tasty roll-ups work well as a side dish, or an appetizer! I happened to go produce-shopping on a day, in a store, where all the eggplants decided they'd be gigantic (I kid you not, biggest I've ever seen), so yours will end up looking a bit narrower than mine. You can use a stove-top griller, griddle press, or regular outdoor grill for these. If it's available to you, I suggest the outdoor grill for that added charcoal taste. 

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants, sliced length-wise

Olive oil (of your choice)

3/4 cup Ready-Made Pesto

1/2 cup Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese

2 tsp lemon juice

Directions: Serves 4

1. Preheat your grill.

2. Brush each side of eggplant slices with olive oil until coated.

3. Place slices on the grill, and grill about 3 minutes per side, or until slightly charred.

4. Meanwhile, prepare filling in a medium bowl. Combine pesto, ricotta, and lemon juice until evenly mixed. 

5. Remove eggplant slices from the grill and allow to cool. 

6. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the pesto-cheese mix onto each slice of eggplant, and spread evenly.

7. Roll up each slice, and place on serving plate seam-side down.

8. Serve immediately and Mangia!