Rice and Eggplant

Here is a new creation that was made up on the fly!  I was in the mood for eggplant and rice, so why not put them together!  It came out to be pretty tasty too!  This goes to show if you always keep the pantry stocked, you can surely make up a tasty healthy meal on the whim.


1 eggplant
unseasoned bread crumbs
1 large garlic clove (minced)
1 cooking onion (thick slices)
1 cup brown rice
1 can diced tomatoes in garlic and oil
thyme
pepper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cube eggplant, toss with bread crumbs, garlic, pepper and olive oil (you don't want soak with oil, just enough for bread crumbs to stick to eggplant cubes).  Place on cookie sheet.  Add onions and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Toss after 10 minutes, may need to drizzle more oil.


While eggplant is baking, cook rice.  Add 1 tsp of butter and 1 tsp of thyme to rice.  When you think the rice is just about done, add 3/4 of a can of petite diced tomatoes to rice.  Mix tomatoes into rice.  

When eggplant is done, mix with rice.  Enjoy :)