Mini Eggplant Pizzas

Those of you who get the newsletter know September's issue is all about PIZZA! These are the little pizzas we had for lunch today. The base is a sliced eggplant. I tried baking these in the oven, but they seemed to stay too squishy. Going for a bit more crisp, I then grilled them on my cast iron griddle. They may look a bit burned, but they didn't taste that way. I sprinkled ground oregano and chopped garlic on each eggplant slice.

We ate ours topped with fresh veggies and some homemade chicken sausage I had on hand. I skipped the tomato sauce and let the fresh tomatoes fill that spot. I added some of the veggies on top raw--onions and bell peppers, and those stayed crispy. I also cooked some veggies on the griddle for more of a grilled taste. I knew I wasn't going to turn on the broiler to cook the top of the mini pizzas, and this was a great compromise. The flavor was excellent, and the melted farmer's cheese held everything together nicely. You still need a plate and fork, but if you miss the pizza flavors and want some extra nutrition, this will do it. Teenager approved--even with eggplant. Who would have guessed? Only bad point: the eggplant does shrink a bit, so I think he is still hungry. Perhaps a berry smoothie for dessert will do.