Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Soup

Ingredients

• 1 (1-pound) eggplant, cut in half lengthwise
• Cooking spray
• 10 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Place eggplant, cut sides down, in a baking pan coated with cooking spray; add garlic. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until eggplant is tender; cool. Scrape pulp from eggplant skins; discard skins. Squeeze cloves to extract garlic pulp; discard skins.
3. Place coriander and cumin in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add spice mixture, onion, and pepper; cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Add flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add water and vegetable broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cool 5 minutes.
4. Combine eggplant pulp, garlic pulp, and broth mixture in a blender, and process until smooth. Return the pureed mixture to pan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in balsamic vinegar. Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 2 bowls. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon yogurt and 1 teaspoon cilantro.