Eggplant Caprese salad

Guys love poker and girls love it when guys do the dishes. Create a win-win situation for ladies and gents by personalizing your next poker night with innocent wagers that may leave you chore free for the next week.

A perfect date night involves finding a balance between what he loves and what she loves. A delicious meal ranks high among men and women which means cooking is the easy part. Coming up with a unique activity that appeals to both parties is a bit more challenging. Try suggesting a game of poker, something he likely enjoys, but instead of chips, create coupons for tasks or activities. For example, create a card that relinquishes you of dish duty or laundry duty or a card that says the person who loses has to plan the next date night, go on an ice cream run or give up control of the remote. Add in some romantic tasks like back massages and candlelit baths and your date night activity can give you things to do for weeks. Be creative and have fun with the process. Since you each will get the chance to create the cards, there will be a mix of things you both love. A personalized game is a great way to connect, and the fact that he scored dish duty for the week will leave you begging for the next poker night.

Just because poker night generally involves chips and beer doesn’t mean you have to serve that during date night. This Eggplant Caprese Salad is easy enough that it won’t take up your whole evening. It can be served as an appetizer or as the meal. Pair with a fruity red Italian wine such as Chianti.

Eggplant caprese salad

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 small eggplant
• 1 large tomato
• 1 cup of diced sweet onion
• 1/4  cup of basil
• 1/2  cup of diced sweet onion
• 1/4  cup of balsamic vinaigrette
• 1/4  cup flour
• 1/4  cup corn meal
• Olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper
• Balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Break the egg and put it in a shallow dish. Add flour, cornmeal, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to a shallow dish and mix together. Slice the eggplant into round pieces. Dip the eggplant in the egg and then into the flour mixture until coated.
2. In a large skillet, add some olive oil and let it heat up. Add in the battered eggplant and cook on each side until it is brown and crispy. In a small skillet, add in the diced onions and balsamic vinaigrette. Cook until the onions are translucent.
3. Slice the tomato into thick slices. Julienne the basil leaves and reserve for the top.
4. Layer the eggplant and tomato slices, alternating with each layer. Top with a scoop of onions, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. Drizzle with extra balsamic vinegar if needed.

More caprese recipes

Caprese pasta and steak
Caprese pizza
Pesto caprese sandwich

More date night dishes

Turkey panini with a spicy strawberry spread
Grilled pear bruschetta
Watermelon limeade