Indian Style Grilled Eggplant Slices

It was eighty five degrees as we slowly, grudgingly hiked out of the canyon. My foot ached as I slowly put one foot in front of the other and tried to concentrate on not puking. I was chugging water even though I was not thirsty in the least bit, as I lurched uphill slowly. I was pretty sure my painful right ankle was not actually broken but damn did it hurt with every step I took closer to the truck.
I was chugging water to try and not get heat stroke because it was eighty five degrees on the trail and really humid. When we began the hike to the perfect swimming hole hours earlier we had seen storm clouds building on the horizon and I honestly suspected we were going to get dumped on all day by rain and thunderstorms and no swimming was actually going to happen that day.
Fast forward three hours after fishing a bit, slamming my ankle on a terribly hard granite boulder and trying, very briefly to jump in the freezing cold waters of Crab Creek, and we were back in the steep switchbacks heading out of the valley.
By the time we were hiking out of the canyon and back towards the car the clouds had mostly dissipated and it was just hot and extremely humid. It didn’t help that I felt like I was coming down with heatstroke. Luckily I was wearing a super padded bikini top, and this is kind of shameful but I kept squeezing the padding to release water and cool myself down. ( I had jumped in the freezing waters of Crab Creek right before we started the trek out of the valley.
I thought that on the hike out, Tippy, our friends furry black and while Australian Shepherd was going to be the one who was a hot exhausted mess. Usually taking Tippy on a hike on a hot day is like dragging a fat friend on a hike. They are fun and jolly at first, than as soon as you are a few miles in and you really start to sweat they just want to go lay in the shade and eat a pizza. That is Tippy. He may look like a cattle dog, but on the inside he is my fat friend.
I knew it was going to be hot heading back but considering the way that the thunderstorms had been dumping rain on us the last few days I thought for sure we would be hiking back under cloud cover and was not expecting a hot humid, terrible hike out! I tried to enjoy the views of Lake Arrowhead in the distance and the gorgeous yellow wildflowers on the side of the trail but I was just a mess hiking out and even hot, exhausted Tippy ditched me to hike ahead with my boyfriend at one point.
It was better that we were separated at that point as I was a disgusting mess. I couldn’t stop burping after drinking all that water, and I was trying not to puke, I must have smelled beyond terrible ( thank you natural deodorant)
I’m sure I looked like a complete wreck as I stumbled up the trail like that, squeezing my padded bikini top as well and lurched towards the truck and my boyfriend and the dogs waiting patiently for me.
I took off my hiking boots first thing, releasing my painful ankle that was already back and blue bruised. I had hiked two miles out, all uphill like that!
Luckily my camel back pack was still frozen and I had that to put on my ankle as we started to off road out to the main road. This is why Crab Creek is so deserted; not only do you have to hike in two miles but before that you have to off road; forging a river along the way, for four miles to get to the trailhead. 
We were in a hurry to get home before five as we had friends coming up for a dinner party and we had to get the tandoori rubbed Cornish hens on the grill. I made my amazing broccoli salad, my peppadew humus and these phenomenol Indian Style Grilled Eggplant Slices.

Indian Style Grilled Eggplant Slices

 2 eggplants
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon coconut oil, melted
1/2 a lemon

Slice the eggplant as thin as you can. Sprinkle all the sides with salt, both sides and let sit one hour.
Wipe off all the salt with a paper towel.
In a large ziplock plastic baggie combine the corinader, cumin chili powder and turmeric.
Using a pastry brush brush coconut oil on the slices of eggplant and layer all in the zip lock bag. Coat with spices and let sit at least twenty minutes.
Heat the grill and BBQ the slices both sides.
Squeeze lemon over the slices and serve.
These are also amazing with my homemade tahini sauce.