Eggplant Chips

Well, the postdated post worked! Yay! I've gotten some suggestions for places to eat in NYC but would love to hear more from y'all. This week, my entry for Cate's ARF Tuesday is a quick side dish perfect to go along with a sandwich or wrap. When I was growing up, one of my favorite meals was a vegetable meal fresh from my grandfather's garden. We would usually have green beans, tomatoes, squash, corn bread, and fried eggplant and okra. Now, there is just something comforting about fried eggplant. It kind of gets mushy on the inside and stays crisp on the outside, all combined with the eggplant flavor and saltiness of the coating spices. Now, I don't eat fried things often anymore, but love this. Guess what! You can get most of the same taste and texture baking the eggplant. I did this one day with a tiny eggplant from the Farmer's Market and it was just perfect. I couldn't stop eating them! So grab and eggplant and try this out. Oh, also stop by Cate's and see the other wonderful entries. Faux Fried Eggplant
1 eggplant, Japanese (the thin kind) or a tiny version of another variety, sliced thinly
cornmeal
salt
Tony's Chachare's
olive oil
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Drizzle the eggplant with olive oil (a small amount) and then spray with cooking spray. Season all slices with your choice of seasoning. Sprinkle cornmeal over both sides of the eggplant slices (or you can combine the seasonings and cornmeal and toss the eggplant in the mixture - this will result in a more thoroughly coated piece of eggplant and probably MORE crispiness!). Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and place into the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Check at 10 minutes to be sure they aren't burned and to flip if needed.