“Sure, we’ll take the eggplant!” I heard myself say as my sister packed to leave after visiting us on vacation. I figured I’d grill them one of the remaining nights of our stay at a rental in the Finger Lakes. But I didn’t, and abhorring wasting food, we added it to cooler for the trip home. It sat for four days before we added the eggplant to our summer camping trip food supply. “I’ll roast them in the fire!” I optimistically told Lori. I didn’t roast them, of course, and on the aging eggplant traveled from Western Maryland to the Jersey Shore for the final leg of our extended summer vacation. About three weeks and five states (New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey) after inheriting these things, I stood in the kitchen of the Brigantine Beach house my parents rented and stared at their wrinkling purple skin and vowed, right then and there, I’d eat them no matter what, and then never buy or accept another eggplant again! 

But what to do? Lori is totally vegan and I eat very little dairy anymore. The thought of a cheese larded and breaded eggplant parmesan (a one time favorite growing up in South Jersey) didn’t sit well in my stomach. A quick recon of our shore house rental revealed four opened tins of left-behind Old Bay seasoning in one cabinet and a fridge with beer. I was then guided by a mysterious force and serendipitously stumbled upon this amazing eggplant concoction. It is now, honestly, my absolute favorite way to prepare eggplant. 

Besides its deliciousness, it is amazingly easy to prepare and skips all those old eggplant steps like salting and setting aside to remove the bitterness. Add because the eggplant is braised, rather than fried in oil, it’s low-fat!

Be sure the beer you choose is vegan! We checked the app VeganXpress to confirm that Brooklyn Brown Ale by Brooklyn Brewery is indeed plant-based.

• About
• Latest Posts

John Robinette

John is married to Lori and father of two awesome young men all of whom he shares his passion for the environment. When he is not Chief Strategy Officer for Sister Eden he loves to cook and read and be outdoors and fantasizes about hiking the Appalachian Trail. Other essays by John about life, death, and love can be found at his blog Hole in the Sun.

To visit John's blog, click on his name right above.

Latest posts by John Robinette (see all)

• Irish Whiskey Chocolate Cream Pie - March 14, 2017
• Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto | Vegan Risotto - November 15, 2016
• Drunken Eggplant - September 1, 2016