Roast the eggplant in the oven at 400* or on the grill:  Cut in half, place cut side down on non-stick foil or parchment paper. Roast until skin is almost black and flesh is soft.  Scoop out insides when cool. It looks disgusting and is a bit of a pain to scoop it all out of there, but it tastes so good, it's worth it!

Coat bottom of a skillet with olive oil. Heat until shimmery, then add spices. Stir the spices in the oil for about 1 minute, to infuse the oil with the flavors of the spices.  Add the onions. Cook until almost translucent.  Add the eggplant, tomatoes, tomato paste, cream, and salt to taste. Also add any optional additions now.  Cook for a few minutes until to desired consistency.

Can be served on its own for a low carb dish (all the flavors make it very satisfying this way), or over rice or flatbread.  (Rice in the pressure cooker is so easy!  And try these homemade tortillas that are a lot like flatbread.)

Makes about 2 1/2 cups, so adjust the recipe for your family.  It does have a nice spicy bite to it, so the kids may not go for it, but most adults will go WILD over the flavors!