I try to abide by my #MeatlessMonday promise when I can and am always looking for ways to use more vegetables in my diet so this weekend, I found beautiful mauve round eggplants that I prepared two ways – meat-stuffed and vegetarian.

These single-serve eggplants are great to fix on the weekend to bring for work lunches during the week. They’re also beautiful served as a starter at a dinner party and a breeze as they can be made in advance and reheated in time for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked Spanish rice, homemade or commercial (I used Goya brand Arroz con Tomate)
• 4 ounces crumbled Feta cheese
• ½ tsp. dried mint
• 2 Tbsp. golden raisins
• 4 Tbsp. Easy Greek Vinaigrette
• Two small mauve round eggplants (or any small round eggplants)
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the rice, Feta, mint, raisins and 2 tablespoons of Greek Vinaigrette. Set aside.
3. Using a paring knife and a teaspoon, remove the very top of the eggplants and then remove most of the pulp from the interior being careful not to pierce through the outer skin. See photo as reference.
4. Rub the sea salt on the inside of each eggplant.
5. Fill the cored eggplants with the rice stuffing then drizzle with the olive oil.
6. Place the stuffed eggplants in a Pyrex baking dish with tall sides. If the eggplant won’t stand up straight, use a crumpled piece of foil to create a small “stand” for them.
7. Bake for 30 minutes and either serve hot or at room temperature with a drizzle of the remaining vinaigrette.

Serves 2.