Baked Eggplant and Zucchini Roll Ups

Eggplant does not always need cheese or tomato sauces to make it edible. Take the joys of grilled eggplant a notch up by adding zucchini to make a healthier and tastier bite. Go easy on the oil and skip the calorie-laden fillings to make yourself a delicious snack that won’t blow your diet.

Makes: About 18 to 20 roll ups

Ingredients:

• 4 large (long) eggplants or aubergines or brinjals
• 4 zucchinis
• 4 tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• Sea Salt or Garlic Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 tsp Hemp Seeds
• Chopped coriander for garnish

Recipe:

1. Slice the eggplants and zucchini lengthwise. Slice as thinly as you can for ease in rolling up. If the eggplants are not very long, you might end with chunky sides that are not long enough to roll up. You can use them up by topping with pasta sauce and cheese and then grilling them.

2. Marinate the strips in vinegar for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

3. Rub salt and olive oil on the strips and lightly grill them in a pan or on the barbecue until tender. Drain.

4. When cool, begin rolling up! Place one strip of zucchini on one strip of eggplant and roll up. Place snugly in a baking dish. If your baking dish is too large and the rolls do not fit snugly, use cocktail sticks to hold the rolls.

5. Sprinkle the oil from the pan, a large pinch of garlic salt, pepper and hemp seeds over the rolls and bake for 15-20 minutes.

6. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with a yogurt based dip of your choice.