Warm Eggplant and 'Goat Cheese' Sandwiches

These delicious sandwiches make for a quick weeknight dinner. The eggplant carries a hint of the spring that is but ten days away from us, but the warm rolls are still welcome on a chilly night! The original recipe called for a spreadable goat cheese - the nearest vegan equivalent I know of isn't an imitation cheese, but rather Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese, so that's what I use here.

Cut 2 (1/4-inch) thick slices from a small eggplant. Brush 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the slices. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, and coat with cooking spray. Add the eggplant slices and cook on each side until lightly browned - the original recipe said 5 minutes per side, but mine were perfect after 4 minutes, so watch them carefully to avoid burning. Remove from the pan and sprinkle evenly with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper.

Meanwhile, cut two sandwich rolls in half and place on a baking sheet. Again, I strayed from the original recipe which used rustic sandwich rolls (available from companies such as Pepperidge Farm). Instead, I bought the whole wheat buns from Rudi's Organic Bakery, which are vegan, according to the website: www.rudisbakery.com If you don't choose Rudi's, choose any (1 and 1/2 ounce) sandwich bun that doesn't contain any animal products!

Spread 1 tablespoon of vegan cream cheese (or other goat cheese alternative of your choice) over each roll half (so 4 tablespoons total). Bake the rolls at 275 degrees for 9 minutes.

Place 1 eggplant slice over the 'cheese' on the bottom half of each roll. Top that with 1 (1/4-inch) thick slice of tomato, and top that with 1/2 cup arugula. Place the top of the roll on top.

You'll have dinner for two! Add a bowl of soup to round out the meal. Each sandwich is 300 calories.

Cost:
eggplant $2.35
vegan cream cheese $2.99
sandwich rolls $3.99
tomato $1.92
arugula $2.50