Lately I've been reading the book
Food Matters by Mark Bittman. The book is about the tie between your lifestyle, diet, and the environment. It basically says that by eating more plant foods and less animal foods you can improve your health and the health of the environment. I totally buy into it and have been trying to increase the amount of fruit and veggies I eat on a daily basis.
The book also includes tons of tasty-looking recipes. I had picked up some eggplants at the farmer's market and was very excited to get into the kitchen and whip up a nice dinner. One of the perks about not training for a race is that I actually have time to cook!
Hooray!
This recipe for eggplant Parmesan is very simple and it uses LOTS of basil. It's getting to be the end of basil season, so I was excited to do a final harvest from my herb garden.
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| Green Leafy Goodness. |
Eggplant Parmesan is actually one of the least healthy things you can order at a restaurant. The eggplant is spongy, so it soaks up lots of oil when it is fried. Then it's smothered in mounds of cheese. I love it. But it is definitely not good for you.
This one is different. You broil the eggplant instead of frying. Then it's assembled into a casserole.
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| Some assembly required. |
Instead of breading each piece of eggplant, you just do a sprinkling of bread crumbs and cheese on top. The result is a lower fat/calorie entree with tons of flavor and a wonderful texture.
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| Me oh my! |
And what's an Italian dish without pasta? I bought some brown rice noodles at Trader Joe's for a change of pace. They were very tasty!
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| Dinner is served. |
Drew is always a good sport with trying my cooking, but I was a bit nervous about the eggplant. People always seem skeptical of eggplant. But he loved it! Like, he really really liked it. Proof:
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| AAAAHHHH... so good! |
This is the perfect meal for a chilly night. Easy to throw together, comes out warm and bubbly, and an easy way to add some variety of veggie to your diet!
Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients:
- 2 or 3 eggplants, unpeeled, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
- Salt
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh Basil
- 1 cup bread crumbs
Method:
- Sprinkle eggplant with salt and set in a colander for at least 15 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Heat your broiler to medium high.
- Brush the eggplant lightly on both sides with oil and a sprinkle of salt. Broil until browned on both sides, turning once or twice and brushing with more oil if it looks dry. 5 minutes per side should do it.
- Lightly oil a 2-quart baking dish, then spoon a layer of tomato sauce onto the bottom. Top with a layer of eggplant, then a sprinkling of Parmesan, followed by a few basil leaves. Repeat until all the ingredients are used.
- Toss some Parmesan with bread crumbs. Drizzle 1Tbsp. of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then toss again. Spread bread crumb mixture evenly on top of dish.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the dish is bubbling hot.
- Eat & Enjoy!
Remember, going just 1 day a week without eating meat is not only good for you, but also the environment! Do yourself and the Earth a favor and make this for dinner! :)
Happy {meatless} Monday!
