Your blood sugar will be sure to salute you this Independence Day if you grill up some of this: eggplant.

Purple-skinned eggplant is full of phenols that help your body better use blood sugar. And that’s great, because you don’t need extra blood sugar running around. Too much in the bloodstream could wreak havoc with your organs. But that’s not all eggplant’s
got . . .

More Phenol Superpowers
In addition to favorable effects on blood sugar, eggplant’s supercharged phenols may also inhibit an enzyme tied to high blood pressure. Plus, the phenols have antioxidant actions.
Go purple power!

Ways to Do Eggplant Right
Yup, eggplant sure is one heck of a disease fighter — and it’s quite versatile to boot. You can feature it in a crowd-pleasing dip:
Roasted Eggplant Dip

Mellow roasted garlic sets this version of the popular Middle Eastern eggplant dip apart from standard recipes. Roasting the onion and tomato alongside the eggplant also adds an extra dimension of flavor. Serve with sliced raw vegetables, crackers or pita bread.

Makes 2 1/2 cups

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1 large head garlic
1 eggplant (1-1 1/4 pounds), cut in half lengthwise
1 small onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 ripe tomato, cored, sliced in half and seeded
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Set oven racks at the two lowest levels; preheat to 450°F. Peel as much of the papery skin from the garlic as possible and wrap loosely in foil. Bake until the garlic is soft, 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place eggplant halves on the prepared baking sheet, cut-side down. Roast for 10 minutes. Add onion slices and tomato halves to the baking sheet and roast until all the vegetables are soft, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Let cool slightly.
3. Separate the garlic cloves and squeeze the soft pulp into a medium bowl. Mash with the back of a spoon. Slip skins from the eggplant and tomatoes; coarsely chop. Finely chop the onion. Add the chopped vegetables to the garlic pulp and stir in the lemon juice, mint, oil, salt and pepper.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per tablespoon: 11 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 2 g carbohydrate; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 30 mg sodium; 46 mg potassium.