The best sandwich ever

I like to get creative with my lunches, when everyone is at school/work and I have time to experiment. A few years ago I was going through an eggplant phase, so my mom gave me an eggplant cookbook, which is even shaped like an eggplant. Here's the thing about eggplant - it looks weird, and it tastes weird if you don't cook it right. The key is to cook it long enough, and it really does take a little while. Otherwise it has an odd spongy texture. I've had it at restaurants and either loved it or hated it. So I like to make it myself. I like eggplant Parmesan, and I've even gotten my family to like it. How can you not like something fried and smothered in marinara sauce and melted mozzarella? I also have a recipe for Sweet Italian Sausage Casserole with many yummy veggies in it, including eggplant. But my favorite, quick delicious thing to do with eggplant is derived from a recipe in my eggplant cookbook: Grilled Eggplant Sandwich, although I've tweaked it a bit. I made it for lunch on Sunday (I have all kinds of time before church now that I've been released from primary), and when Dave came home from his meetings the house smelled so good I just had to make him one too. Every time I make it I am sure it is the yummiest sandwich I've ever tasted and wonder why I don't make it more often. So here's the recipe:

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich
5-6 very thin slices of eggplant
2 slices of San Luis Sourdough Cracked Wheat bread (or some other inferior brand)
2-3 thin slices of tomatoes (of course fresh garden ones are best, if they're in season)
1 slice of cheese (mozzarella, Gouda, Swiss, or whatever you happen to have on hand)
garlic (fresh is best, but garlic powder or salt are fine too)
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
basil, either fresh or dried

Preheat broiler or grill. Place slices of eggplant on a pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper. Put on the grill or in the oven or toaster oven and broil for a few minutes. Watch them closely! When they start to turn golden, turn them over. Broil or grill the other side until golden. Remove from oven/grill. Meanwhile, spread sourdough bread with butter. Grill on the stove until toasty. Assemble sandwich: bread (toasty side down), tomatoes, basil, eggplant, cheese, bread (toasty side up). Let sit a few minutes to melt cheese. Enjoy!

Tips: The eggplant skin makes it difficult to eat because when you bite into it, the whole thing comes off, disassembling your sandwich. You can either remove it before or after broiling it or cut little slits in it all around. If your bread it huge, just use one slice and cut it in half. The recipe from my book suggest mixing the olive oil with the garlic, salt and pepper and brushing it on the eggplant and bread before grilling it all together. You can do it either way, but I just love sourdough with butter cooked on the skillet, and I cook the eggplant in my toaster oven so there's no room for the bread with it. The recipe also calls for arugula, but who ever has that on hand? I guess you could use fresh spinach.