Hungering for something vaguely Italian for lunch just now, and remembering that leftover hunk of raw eggplant in the fridge, I improvised a grilled eggplant sandwich that turned out better than expected, considering how unplanned the whole thing was, comprised entirely of odds and ends I added as the idea took hold.  This is how it looked….

…and this is how I did it.  Totally improv, substitutions truly worth trying:

4 slices eggplant, about 3/8″ thick and 3″ in diameter, brushed lightly with Italian dressing; 6″ length of crusty French or Italian baguette; schmeer of chipotle mayonnaise; sliced red onion; sliced grape tomatoes; sprinkle of shredded Parmesan

While the eggplant slices grilled in a non-stick pan – this took about ten minutes, flipping them a few times – I cut the bread in half, pressed down on the cut sides to form a bit of a well on each slice, and schmeered chipotle mayo on each half.  Then I lined one side with some onion and the other with tomato, and toasted them for a couple of minutes.  Just before the eggplant looked browned and done, I sprinkled a bit of shredded cheese on the tomato side of the bread and toasted both halves just a bit longer to lightly melt the cheese.  Then piled the four slices of eggplant onto the bread, two by two, closed it up and pressed down.  Cut in half and enjoyed immensely!