Recipe: Lighter Eggplant Parmesan

Sooooo, I decided to try a new recipe.  When shopping for produce, I decided to challenge myself with buying and preparing a new veggie that I have never cooked with before.   The lucky winner this week was eggplant, so I decided to make some eggplant parm.   There is kind of a funny story behind the first time I ever tried eggplant parm.  Shall I digress?  Well, ok, then...

I was very pregnant with Darcy...ready to burst.   One Friday morning, I went into what I thought was labor.  I was having regular contractions and everything.  Then, all of a sudden it all stalled out and my hopes at not being pregnant anymore were shattered.   That weekend, Tim and I were trying all of the things that are supposed to encourage labor.  We took long walks. I ate spicy food.  I even bought this special tea.  I was so uncomfortable and ready. I am not normally this impatient.   While searching Google, (which is, of course, infallible medical advice) Tim came across an old wives tale that states that eggplant parmesan is supposed to help one go into labor.  Olive Garden for dinner, it was!!  I am not sure if I really thought this would work or if I wanted an excuse to got to Olive Garden....  ANYWAY, we went.  I ate eggplant parmesan, which I LOVED.  Nothing happened.   We ate at the OG on a Saturday evening.  My water broke the Tuesday after right after I coughed while standing at the kitchen sink.  All of that and all I had to do was cough, apparently... If you know Darcy, you know that is how she rolls.  Has kept mommy guessing from the very beginning.

Back to the recipe!!

Ingredients:   197 calories/2 pieces

• One large eggplant
• Milk
• 1/2 cup flour (I used wheat.)
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 cup pasta sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

• Start by slicing the eggplant.  Then, soak in milk.  I heard that this cuts the bitterness of the eggplant. I suppose this step could be skipped, but I decided to take the advice I found online. Soak for about 20 minutes.

• Preheat your oven to 425.
• Drizzle canola oil evenly over a cookie sheet.
• Coat eggplant in flour/bread crumb mixture

• Place eggplant slices on cookie sheet
• Bake for 10 minutes, turn slices, and then bake another 10 minutes

• Top each slice with a spoonful of pasta sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• I served with a cup of whole wheat spaghetti.  It was really good!

The only change I would make is that I would either use white flour or no flour at all and just stick with the breadcrumbs as a coating.  I may also go with panko bread crumbs to change it up.  I just did not care for the whole wheat flour as a coating, but that is just me.  I will it for my whole wheat banana blueberry muffins! Hmmm...will have to post that one eventually too!