Eggplant sautee w/ Black Beans

I've never really understood why we don't see more eggplant used for vegetarian-sandwich choices, when there's all kinds of mushroom-based options floating around.

Forget about the mushroom. When it comes to "meatiness", it's all about the eggplant.
Why exactly is eggplant so awesome? No idea (for one thing, it's not a fungus).
Maybe it' s just my association with fried goodness in eggplant Parmesian (back when I could/would actually eat it) that really makes it appealing; but really it's just so darn satisfying that I can't pass it up when I'm looking to make something tomato-ey and hearty. So that's basically what I did. Freakin awesome.



I don't really measure when I cook...so here are the estimates. (It makes a lot, about 4-6 servings)

1 large onion (I love onions, okay!)
3 cloves garlic (or lots of garlic powder)
olive oil to cover bottom of pan
1 small eggplant
handful of asparagus, cut into small pieces
small zucchini
handful of spinach

1 tsp paprika
1 Tbs basil, oregano, thyme (season to taste i guess)
pinch of crushed red pepper
salt/pepper to taste
can of diced tomatoes

Get pan hot, cover bottom w/ olive oil. Put in garlic and chopped onions, and let sit until onions get soft. add chopped asparagus and cubed eggplant, let that cook for a while (asparagus takes a little while). Add some salt to help it along.
Add zucchini and seasonings. Don't be shy w/ the garlic people!
Let that simmer on low for a while, then add the canned tomatoes. Once everything looks cooked (around 3-5 minutes), add the spinach and turn it off. Squeeze a little bit of lemon to bring it all together.

I added black beans to this and put it over rice. So good.