Healthy Eggplant Parmesan

So, this was my first time making (or even eating, for that matter) eggplant Parmesan. In the past, I've always opted for its meatier relative. But I'm ever so slowly and on my own terms coming around to vegetarianism. I haven't committed yet. We're just getting to know each other right now. We're going to go on a few dates and then see where to take if from there (more on that some other time).


Plus, I wanted a healthy dish to make that would also double as a Friday-friendly dinner this first Friday of Lent. So I took my Chicken Parmesan recipe and gave it a healthy face-lift.

And the results were phenomenal. In fact, my husband, who usually comments on the lack of meat in dishes, said it was better than the chicken Parmesan I usually make. Go figure.


So what makes this a healthy dish (other than substituting eggplant for the chicken)? I baked the eggplant, whereas I used to fry the chicken. I used egg whites, whereas I used to use the whole egg to coat the chicken. And I used breadcrumbs, whereas I used to use flour AND breadcrumbs. So that means we're talking 330 calories, including pasta, for a dish that could easily be a lot more.


Also, what IS eggplant Parmesan without a bit of pasta? Find the healthiest pasta you can find to serve alongside your healthy eggplant Parmesan. Lately, the best I've found at our local grocer was Ronzini Smart Taste, though I really would like to find a better whole-grain pasta. In these parts, that might mean having to go into town to Central Market, a place I loathe (more on that some other time).


Healthy Eggplant Parmesan


Ingredients


2 eggplants
3 egg whites
3 T of water
1 C of breadcrumbs
salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste


2 T of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 white onion, chopped
2 whole bay leaves
1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, drained and crushed a bit with a spoon
1/2 C or 2/3 oz. fresh basil leaves, coarsely sliced
a pinch of sugar
a pinch of salt or slightly more, to taste


1 C part-skim shredded mozzarella
1.5 C shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving


16 oz. spaghetti pasta
extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt


Directions:


Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or grease them with cooking spray.
Grease a casserole or rectangular baking dish.

1. Cut eggplant crosswise into 1/4" slices. Discard stems. Beat egg whites and water together in a bowl until frothy. Spread breadcrumbs in a wide, shallow dish and season with some salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
2. Dip the slices of eggplant into the egg white mixture, coat them in the breadcrumb mixture, and then lay the slices in a single layer on the two baking sheets. Sprinkle them with a bit more pepper, if desired, before popping them into your preheated oven.
3. Bake the eggplant for 15 minutes before flipping them over to cook for another 15.
4. While your eggplant is baking, heat a skillet over a medium heat until hot. Add 2 T of olive oil then add the garlic, onion, and bay leaves. Stir frequently until the mixture becomes slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
5. Add some about half of the basil and stir. Then, add your drained, slightly crushed tomatoes. Continue to stir and crush tomatoes with a spoon for the next 15 minutes or so, until a lot of the tomato juices are cooking off.
6. Add a generous pinch of sugar and a generous pinch of salt to the tomato mixture. Stir, turn the heat to low, and cover.
7. Start a large pot of boiling water for your pasta. Add a bit of olive oil and coarse salt to the boiling water before adding your pasta. After the pasta is cooked al dente, drain, put in a bowl, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and toss to coat.
8. By about now, your eggplant should be nicely browned on both sides. In the greased baking dish, pour your tomato mixture into a single layer. Then, remove the eggplant slices from the baking sheets, arranging them on top of the sauce, allowing them to overlap some.
9. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the eggplant, then the Parmesan. Top the cheese with the remainder of the sliced fresh basil. Pop into the still-400-degree oven for about 15 minutes, then remove.
10. Spoon a bit of cooked pasta onto your plate, and top it off with a few slices of eggplant and some sauce. Add more Parmesan to your serving, if desired, and enjoy!

If this dish isn't enough to make you think about becoming a vegetarian (or to make you glad you are one), then I don't know what will!



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Sundried Basil-Pecan Goat Cheese Pizza

If you know me, then you probably know that a pizza recipe is an unlikely inclusion on my blog.

Growing up, the promise of getting a class pizza party for selling the most chocolate bars, etc. in the school was never a very tantalizing reward for me. Needless to say, when it comes to pizza, I'm not exactly a fan. I know this makes me certifiable or something, but the typical marinara, mozzarella, grease combination is usually enough to make me gag. My first enjoyable encounter with pizza (and, until recently, my only enjoyable encounter with pizza) occurred my junior year during a school spring break trip to Europe: a Margherita pizza from some back-alley pizzeria in Monaco. It took traveling halfway across the world, but I finally realized that, with the right ingredients, there was no reason pizza couldn't be good.

Since getting married, my husband had been nagging me to make a pizza for him. Finally, last summer, I got around to opening up the Pizza Gourmet Cookbook I had received as a wedding shower present. There was a lot of interesting ingredient combinations (none of which I have tried yet). Instead, I felt inspired to make my own concoction of a pizza. Knowing how much I loved the ingredients in my Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken recipe (comin' atcha tomorrow!), I thought to myself, "Self, now wouldn't those ingredients taste spectacular on a pizza?"


As it turns out, I was right. My daughter loves this one as much as my husband and I. And, best of all, it doesn't pack in nearly as much fat as your typical pizza. Seriously, I have this theory that goat cheese makes everything better. I might just have to start putting it to the test.


Sundried Basil-Pecan Goat Cheese Pizza

Ingredients:

1 small package of fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (about 1/2 C loosely packed or 2/3 oz.)
1 shallot, finely chopped
2-3 T of sundried tomato paste or pesto (or process some sundried tomatoes)
4 oz. of crumbled goat cheese
1/3 C chopped pecans
2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 12" pizza crust (I have been quite happy Mama Mary's pizza crusts. I did make a pizza crust from a recipe featured in the aforementioned pizza cookbook, but it turned out just as well as a Mama Mary's crust. Plus, buying a ready-made crust is a no-brainer time-saver)

a pizza pan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place pizza crust on a pizza pan.

1. Brush 1-2 T of extra virgin olive oil on pizza crust.
2. Brush 2-3 T of sundried tomato paste or pesto on crust.
3. Evenly scatter crumbled goat cheese over pizza crust.
4. In a skillet, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and heat over a medium heat. Add basil and shallots, stirring for 1-2 minutes, until ingredients are moist and the shallots and basil are slightly aromatic. Remove from heat.
5. Spoon shallot/basil/olive oil mixture evenly over pizza.
6. Evenly scatter chopped pecans over pizza.
7. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Cut, serve, and enjoy immediately!

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