Answer to the Question: What's For Dinner? Pan-Fried Mayo & Panko Crusted Eggplant Rings

In my experience, someone's creativity is tested when stripped of their resources and thrown into a situation where one does not feel comfortable. For example, it is a rare occasion when my pantry is somewhat bare and my refrigerator lacks essentials. Yesterday, however, I was faced with the challenge of what most of us face on a busy day: What's for Dinner?

All day I was dreaming of the opportunities the fresh eggplant I had at home would present. Possibly eggplant Parmesan, or maybe grilled soy-glazed eggplant sprinkled with sesame seeds? However, my pantry stripped me of my dreams. My pantry lacked Parmesan cheese, soy sauce, sesame seeds and eggs. As you can imagine, I was pretty unhappy with this new situation, but I did not let this minor setback discourage me from creating an eggplant dinner where I would play with new flavor combinations.

Let me know your thoughts.

Pan Fried Eggplant Rings
Serving Size: 4

What You'll Need:

*1 Whole Eggplant- cut into 1/4 inch round slices
*1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
*1 cup Light Mayonnaise
*1/4 tsp black pepper
*1 tsp salt
*Vegetable oil to evenly coat bottom of pan
*3 cloves garlic
*Marinara sauce for dipping

*Heat pan over medium flame for 1 minutes
*Add vegetable to bottom of pan and heat for 1 minute
*Add 3 cloves smashed garlic to pan and cook for 3 minutes
*Remove garlic from pan
*Mix together salt, pepper and Panko breadcrumbs
*Dip each eggplant slice into mayonnaise and then into Panko mixture, making sure to press the Panko onto the eggplant, making it stick
*Add eggplant to pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side
*Remove and add to paper towel-lined dish and let soak up oil for 20 minutes before serving