Eggplant is notorious for absorbing limitless amounts of oil if you are cooking it on the stovetop, and it takes quite a while to cook that way. In contrast, this dish is very easy to prepare, since the eggplant is first left to soften in the oven. Cooking it in this way saves time and lets you control how much oil to use. (But since extra virgin olive oil is yummy and has good polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, I don't believe in excluding it entirely.)
Since the eggplant softens completely, the skin is left on, adds flavor and makes this dish a good source of fiber.

Recipe:
2 eggplants [pick plump, but fairly squattish ones]
8 cloves of garlic
3 small onions
1.5 cups chick peas (aka garbanzo beans) [optional but yummy!]
3 tbspns extra virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno chilli
chilli powder [to taste]
1 tbspn turmeric
salt and pepper [to taste]
10 leaves fresh mint OR 3 tbspns dried mint

Cut the head off each eggplant, but leave the peel. Cut four 1 inch slits along the length of each eggplant and press a single garlic clove into each slit, so that the cloves are no longer visible, embedded in the eggplant. The slits should be spaced out, e.g. three around the base of the eggplant and one towards the head. Wrap each eggplant tightly in aluminum foil and place on a baking tray. Bake in the oven at 375F for 60 minutes. Remove tray from oven and leave to cool a little.

Finely chop the onions and the jalapeno chilli. In a large non-stick pan heat the olive oil, add the chopped onions and chilli and saute for 3 minutes. If you will be using dried mint then add this now. Lower the heat, put on the lid and let the onions soften for a further 5 minutes. Unwrap the eggplants and add them to the pan (use a fork to unwrap them since they may still be hot). Mash the eggplants, which will have softened, into the onions, making sure to completely crush the garlic. Add the turmeric and season with salt and pepper and chilli powder to taste.If you are using chick peas then add them at this time. Stir well, replace the lid and leave to simmer on a low heat for 20 mins. If you are using fresh mint, finely chop the leaves and stir into the mixture shortly before removing from the heat.

The dish is essentially cooked, but the longer you leave it the more the flavours will flourish. Leftovers, refrigerated over night, taste even yummier the day after!

Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint to serve. Options for serving include:
- on a bed of wholewheat couscous (as pictured!), with a side of chopped crisp romaine lettuce
- with slices of pita bread and plain yoghurt

Calories and nutrition calculation:
2.4lbs eggplant unpeeled = 260 cals, 2g fat, 62g carbs, 38g fib, 6g prot
1.5 cups chickpeas = 270 cals, 6g fat, 45g carb, 12g fib, 15g prot
3 tbspns olive oil = 360 cals, 42g fat, 6g satfat
3 small onions = 90 cals, 6g carbs, 3g fib, 3g prot
8 cloves garlic = 30 cals, 8g carbs
TOTAL = 1010 cals, 50g fat, 6g satfat, 121 carb, 53g fib, 24g prot
(sodium will depend how on much salt you choose to add)

Makes 4 generous servings.