Eggplant Parmesan Modification

Eggplant parmesan is a beloved dish in our house. However we traditionally made it by slicing the eggplant very thin and frying each breaded piece which makes it not the healthiest dish!

Over time, Jim has become creative and ultimately came up with perfection. Less oil and red sauce is what he was going for since eggplant parmesan brings on acid reflux in me.

He removes the skin first, then slices the eggplant lengthwise in thick slices.  Then he dips the pieces in egg, then breadcrumbs for frying. 

After frying, each piece is laid out on a baking sheet and sprinkled with tomato sauce, cheese and fresh tomato. Then baked at 350F until cheese is beautifully browned. Then reduced balsamic is drizzled on top to taste.

What a difference! We find this to be much more delicious because you can really taste the eggplant. It is healthier and one piece is quite filling. My tummy is happier eating this versus the indulgent way we used to make it. A perfect meal with a side salad. Bonus, the leftovers heat up wonderfully in the microwave.

Thank you for stopping by! ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

Turquoise Necklace

I love this fun necklace! For the pendant I used a unique sterling silver bail that was crafted in Bali. It has 2 loops to suspend whatever from. So I freeformed wire and hammered it for texture also adding 2 dyed crazy agate chips. The strand has natural green turquoise and crazy agate that go beautifully together. This is available at Miss Val’s Creations.

Gluten Free Eggplant Parmesan

It has been a while since I have talked about one of our favorite dishes, eggplant parmesan! Jim and I now make this gluten free so I figured it would be a good idea to mention so others struggling with gluten can see that eggplant parmesan can still be part of their diet!

I make a batch of gluten free bread with this recipe found here from the Gluten Free Goddess. After slicing the bread and drying it out at a low temperature in the oven we then make breadcrumbs with the food processor. At the same time we are adding dried spices to taste until we have it the way we want it.

Now Jim pretty much does all the work from here since he enjoys it (how lucky am I?). I just fetch stuff, wash dishes and drink wine during the assembling of the masterpiece. 

Jim removes the skin. I think the skin is the reason many people do not care for eggplant. Many restaurants seem to keep it on! Yuck. 

Then they get dipped in eggs and the breadcrumbs. Then fried until golden brown in vegetable oil.

Then it is time to layer. I had the brilliant idea of adding ricotta cheese this time! I learned after we made this that we are not the first to do so. Oh well.  We felt innovative. It is layered with red sauce, shredded mozzarella and ricotta. Yes we go light on the sauce. Heart burn is one of the many things my body deals with so light on the sauce helps. 

I was invited to pin on a Pinterest board with vegetarian and vegan dishes. Of course I immediately accepted this invite. Now I am overwhelmed with ideas from this board. People are so creative in the kitchen!!! I have shared of couple of my dishes on this board and many people have repinned them. I wonder if anyone will actually try those dishes?!?! I will have to pin this one for other gluten free vegetarians.

Alice

Leaving you with a photo of my pretty girl Alice! I have the worst time trying to take a picture of her since she is very nervous kitty! I tried to catch her when she was tired.

 Have a wonderful, creative week. Thank you so much for stopping by! ~Val