Okay, here's the thing.
I like eggplant. When seasoned right, sauteed with the right spices (try olive oil and Cajun spices) it can taste pretty darn good. You know, you slice some wheels from the eggplant, leave the skin on or peel the skin off, saute it, and cover the rest with aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator to make at another time. And then what happens?
Time goes by. And the eggplant spoils. Why is that? Because they are so big!
The eggplant is a beautiful, tasty vegetable. No reason to be scared of it! If you have ever wheeled your cart right past the eggplants in the grocery store, you need not anymore...especially when they are on sale.
A little on Eggplant Nutrition
Antioxidants. It's a word that everyone is throwing around these days - and everyone wants more of 'em, whether it's in fortified Green Tea, tomatoes, blueberries, red wine...or eggplants. This majestic purple vine-growing plant has important phytonutrients, which are necessary to sustain life and the immune system. So, season it up and chow down!
My stepfather shared a wonderful recipe with me one day - and I hope he doesn't mind my posting it on here, but it is such a wonderful, tasty recipe that I really thought I must share it. It proves to be a fantastic alternative to the regular vegetarian lasagna. And what's great, is it's PKU friendly, Diabetes friendly, Hypertension friendly...let's see...what else? Let's just say it's quite good, very nutritious, and surprisingly easy to prepare!
EGGPLANT LASAGNA
I really wish I had a photo. I will have to make some more this weekend so I can put a pic up here of what it will look like in the end. Get this...no noodles! That's right, this goes great on a low-carb diet.
1 whole, large eggplant
your favorite tomato / marinara sauce
your favorite cheese
PKU friendly cheeses are available at www.cambrookefoods.com
Wash and peel the eggplant (or leave the skin on...it's very nutritious...but only when fully cooked)
Cut the eggplant lengthwise into noodle like strips
Cut the strips in half crosswise
Lay four strips flat in a large baking dish (building the first layer). Brush the strips with some melted butter or olive oil, garlic, basil, and pepper.
Add some sauce to each strip, and then some cheese.
Repeat the process until you have used the entire eggplant and you will have four small "lasagnas".
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. A great alternative is to add shredded cheese on top, bread crumbs, etc. You can place the dish in the boiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese on the top.
PKU Cheese tips: PKU cheese has difficulty melting sometimes. Best bet for that cheese is to pop it in the microwave first (on a plate) and soften it. Scrape it on the eggplant and let the oven do the rest.
Bon Appetit!
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