Grilled Eggplant with Tahini Yogurt Sauce

Remove both ends of the eggplant and slice into ½ inch slices.

Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil and then lightly season with sea salt and ground black pepper.

Heat either an outdoor grill or a cast iron indoor grill to medium-high and grill eggplant until dark golden-brown grill marks form. This should take approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side—we’re looking for the inside to be grayish and soft, not white and hard.

To make the tahini yogurt sauce, combine the yogurt, ground cumin, minced garlic, fresh lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice, tahini, sea salt, and black pepper in a mixing bowl. (I like to refrigerate this sauce for about 15–20 minutes to chill.)

To serve, place a dollop of the tahini yogurt sauce over the grilled eggplant, followed by a handful of sliced grape tomatoes and fresh basil.