Eggplant Recipes

[Chitralekha]

Almond-Crusted Baked Eggplant is a crunchy and delicious way to enjoy eggplant, topped with juicy marinara sauce! 

It’s hard to believe that it’s the middle of July. It’s been quite an eventful mid summer to say the least; though my leg is still broken the healing process is going well and I’ve been able to start swimming on it. Swimming was one of the things I was afraid of not being able to do, and being a water sign and doing synchronised swimming throughout my latter part of high school and coaching for three years, it’s something I’ve missed majorly. I might not be able to do a ballet leg as straight as I could before, but I’m getting there!

If you follow me on Instagram, you also know that I got my Law School Exam Results (Bar Exams) and I PASSED! I’m yet to collect my actual grades but once I saw my name on the past list all sorts of weight on my shoulder that I didn’t know was there washed away immediately. It’s weird that now, after many many years and 23 years of life, I’m no longer a student. I’ve been so used to writing “Occupation: Student” that I have no idea what to put now and writing unemployed is a bit daunting to say! I will stick to student until called to the bar and I can officially write “Lawyer” – which is probably going to be one of the coolest moments of my life.

 

It’s interesting how life continues to move on despite itself and it’s up to us to just keep on moving. This meal reminds of that since I made it without Mr. Bakes being there, and to be honest I was quite proud of myself. Wheeling around the kitchen in a chair, pedalling myself back and forth with eggplants hand in tow to oven amidst the Germany-Brazil match (which was brutal) I was just reminded that we have to make the best of our circumstances.

This eggplant was certainly the best of circumstances. I knew I wanted to bread them, but I wasn’t sure with what until I stumbled across a bag of almonds in my cupboard. I’m a lover of all things almond so it seemed to work perfectly. Next in line was me stumbling across a recipe by Je Sues Alimentageuse using almond-crusted eggplant (faith?) that I followed with regards to baking temperate and they came out perfectly. I loved that they crisped out and shaped out almost like chips after baking but still maintained a balanced amount of moisture. The almond crust was definitely my favourite part, and if I could I probably would have eaten it by itself! I used my homemade marinara sauce  but you can use any canned marinara sauce. I think it adds a great flavour touch to the eggplant and reminded me of mini cheeseless pizzas. I’m definitely looking into buying way more eggplants for what’s left of this summer for more delicious recipes.

 

 

4.5 from 2 reviews

ALMOND-CRUSTED BAKED EGGPLANT

 

SAVE PRINT

PREP TIME

20 mins

COOK TIME

30 mins

TOTAL TIME

50 mins

 

Almond-Crusted Baked Eggplant is a crunchy and delicious way to enjoy eggplant, topped with juicy marinara sauce!

Serves: 3

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggplants
• 1 cup almonds, grounded
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• Non-stick olive oil spray or 2 teaspoon of olive oil.

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. On a greased cookie sheet, slice and place eggplant slices down and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. This well help to remove the moisture allow it to crisp up more while baking. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
3. IN a food processor, ground the almonds, remaining salt, pepper and garlic until finer but still slightly coarse texture.
4. After eggplants have rested for 10 minutes, spray with non-stick olive oil, or coat with olive oil on each side and coat sides in almond mix and place back on cookie sheet
5. Bake for 30 minutes, 15 minutes on each side, until crisp.
6. Serve with marinara sauce on top or by dippin

 

[Chitralekha]

Balsamic Roasted Eggplant.

Fall is right around the corner, which means, lucky us, eggplants are in season. I always opt for Japanese eggplants, as the seeds are smaller and the meat is less bitter. This is one of my favorite ways to prepare it — tossed in a flavorful vinaigrette and roasted in a hot oven until they’re tender and sweet. Read on for more yum.

 

Balsamic Roasted Eggplant
Serves 2-3 as a side dish

 

5-6 medium sized Japanese eggplants, cut into 1-inch rounds
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Get your oven rolling. 425 degrees, please.

In a big ol bowl, start by whisking together the dijon, balsamic vinegar, thyme, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking.  Thanks to the dijon, you’ll get a beautiful thick, rich vinaigrette.

 

 

Throw in the sliced eggplant, tossing delicately with the vinaigrette until all pieces are coated evenly.  Transfer to a foil-lined baking dish, spreading the eggplant out evenly.  If there’s extra vinaigrette, leave that out. You want only a very fine coating of flavor and then a nice, dry roast in the oven.  I gave it one last sprinkle of salt before it went in the oven.

Roast for 30 – 40 minutes, turning once half way through, until the skin of the eggplant starts to wrinkle and carmalize and the meat becomes very tender.  This technique works with lots of veggies.  Try a mix with red onions, red bell peppers, and zucchini and enjoy the yum.

 

[Spartan]

i tried fisrt one long back with pesto sauce..

 

aguntadi.

[Chitralekha]

Crisp Eggplant Chips with Smoky Seasoning

Thinly sliced eggplant rounds sprinkled with homemade smoky seasoning and slow roasted until crisp.

Who knew that sprinkling eggplant with seasoning and slow roasting for an hour would create such a delicious (healthy) snack? I sure didn’t.

 

Normally, I make homemade chips with organic butternut squash or sweet potato but; with Summer right around the corner, they’re a bit harder to come by.

I saw eggplant at the the grocery store yesterday morning as I was shopping for homemade chip ingredients and thought, “what the heck. It could totally work!”. I bought it, made these, loved them and now here they are, for you!.

When I eat chips, I eat chips. I’m not a handful serving kind of gal. What’s great about these eggplant chips is that one 150 calorie serving is an ENTIRE eggplant.

I am not one for counting calories – they are so deceiving. 45 M&M candies are 150 calories, too. These chips are a way better use of 150 calories than M&Ms. That much is true.

Set aside the late-night processed things and enjoy these eggplant chips with me!

Mangia mangia!

 

Prin

Author: Leanne Vogel

Recipe type: Vegan, Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free, Yeast-free, Corn-free, Grain-free, Nut-free, Egg-free

 

Prep time:   15 mins

Cook time:   60 mins

Total time:   1 hour 15 mins

 

Serves: 2

 

Thinly sliced eggplant rounds sprinkled with homemade smoky seasoning and slow roasted until crisp.

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants, sliced thin
• Coconut oil spray or avocado oil spray

Seasoning

• ½ tablespoons smoked paprika
• ½ tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried ground sage
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Pinch cayenne pepper

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250F and set aside 4 large cookie sheets.
2. Slice the eggplant using a mandolin slicer or a sharp knife. The slices should be as thin as a potato chip.
3. Place completed slices on cookie sheets. Once all slices are on the sheets, spray with coconut oil or avocado oil spray on one side. Then, sprinkle each slice with seasoning.
4. Once complete, flip over each eggplant slice and repeat with a spray and season.
5. Place in the oven to bake for 50-60 minutes, depending on how thin you sliced them. If you make them too thick, they can take upwards of 2 hours to complete.

 

View nutrition information (once on page, scroll down)

 

For the seasoning, I used my recipe for The Best Hashbrown Seasoning Ever, only I added turmeric at the suggestion of Healthful Pursuit reader, Liz. Thanks for the tip, Liz!

It’s important that the eggplants are sliced as thinly as possible. I accidentally sliced a couple too thick and they took over 2 hours to crisp up!

You don’t need too much seasoning on the slices, just a light dust on both sides is perfect.

To prevent chips from going soft, store wrapped in parchment paper. If you have a food dehydrator, you could also dehydrate the chips at 140F for 8-10 hours.

 

[Chitralekha]

 

 

 

Eggplant Hole in the Head

Prep:10 minutes

Cook:20 minutes

Ready In:30 minutes

 

Serves: 2–4

Ingredients

• 1 whole Eggplant
• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Salted Butter
• 4 whole Pastured Eggs
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Salt

Process

1. Preheat grill to high heat.
2. Rinse the eggplant, then cut into 1-inch-thick slices from end to end.
3. Brush eggplant slices with olive oil, sprinkle with salt.
4. Grill eggplant for approximately 3–4 minutes per side.
5. Cut a hole in the center of each piece of eggplant using a small circular cookie cutter.
6. Sauté eggplant in frying pan over medium heat with pasture butter.
7. Crack egg into center of eggplant slice.
8. Allow egg to cook for 3–4 minutes, then flip carefully.
9. Cook for an additional 2–3 minutes.
10. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with sliced green onion as a garnish.

Notes

The thickest part of the eggplant will yield the best slices for this recipe. Feel free to save any additional eggplant for another recipe. Alternatively, you can grill the entire eggplant, and enjoy the remaining slices without the egg-filled center. For those without a grill, you can also broil the eggplant.

[sigsegv]

thanks will try

[PichiPyune]

ala mari thin ga kakunda slices fry chesi mana pappulu esi light fry chestey baley untadi

[Chitralekha]

ala mari thin ga kakunda slices fry chesi mana pappulu esi light fry chestey baley untadi

 

 

ee oven lo taste baaguntundhaa lachi??  okasari try cehsi chudali... 

[Chitralekha]

Eggplant Jam

 

The words “eggplant” and “jam” together might throw you, but if you stop to consider that eggplant – like tomatoes and squash – are botanically fruits, the idea doesn’t seem all that far-fetched. (Although there are plenty of fruits I wouldn’t advise flavoring with garlic.)

I’ve been on a kick, exploring and enjoying flavors of the Middle East lately. And to take my mind of my rapidly escalating olive oil budget, I was leafing through one of my favorite books, From Tapas to Meze by Joanne Weir, and came across this jam. I’m a big fan of eggplants, which is a good thing since they frequently show up in foods of the Middle East, as well as in dishes of their neighbors in North Africa. And even though I could happily eat my way through all of those countries, luckily in Paris, they’re abundantly available here as well.

 

This is one of those recipes that you don’t need to spend a few days shopping for all the ingredients. You just need three eggplants, some spices and garlic, and olive oil, all of which you probably have on hand. But for a dish with just a few ingredients, the results are complex, yet adaptable to a variety of cuisines. If you liked skewered meats, it would be a marvelous condiment alongside. And for those across the Atlantic, it could dress up an all-American hamburger – or a lamburger, if you’re so inclined.

The subtle dab of harissa, the fiery hot sauce, gives it a tantalizing little kick, and Joanne recommends using this eggplant jam as a spread on warm grilled bread. I served it as part of a summer dinner this weekend composed entirely of bowls of appetizers, dips, olives, salads and, well-chilled wine, which is how I like to eat…and drink. I put everything on bowls and let guests help themselves, and this dish got the most remarks.

As I was putting everything on the table, at the last-minute, I added a few dribbles of syrupy pomegranate molasses over the top of the jam, whose sweetness contrasted wonderfully with the richly spiced eggplant.

Eggplant Jam

Adapted from From Tapas to Meze (Ten Speed Press) by Joanne Weir

The amount of salt will vary, depending on how much you use to salt the eggplant, and what salt you use. So you’ll have to depend on your own taste, which – in my experience – most of us are pretty good at.

 

 

• 3 medium eggplants
• kosher or sea salt, or similar flaky salt
• olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon or allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon harissa, or hot sauce
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

optional: Pomegranate molasses, for serving (see Note)

1. Rinse and dry the eggplants, then use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel in vertical strips, leaving about an inch (3 cm) of space between each peeling. Slice the eggplant lengthwise, about 1/2-inch (2 cm) thick.

2. Sprinkle a modest amount of salt on the eggplants and let stand vertically in a colander for about 30 minutes, shaking it every once in a while over the sink to extract some of the eggplant juices.

3. Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Brush two baking sheets fairly well with olive oil and lay the eggplant slices on the baking sheets in a single layer, then flip them over.

4. Bake the eggplants for about 25 minutes, flipping them on the baking sheets midway during baking.

5. Once the eggplants are cooked, put them in a large bowl with the garlic, paprika, cumin, cinnamon or allspice, harissa, and water, and mash them well with a fork or potato masher.

(Not all the eggplant skins will break up into little pieces. They do get rather soft during the double cooking, but if you’re the kind of person bothered by them, you can briefly pulse the cooked eggplant in a food processor or chop it on a cutting board with a chef’s knife.)

6. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and cook the mashed eggplant mixture on rather low heat, stirring frequently so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom. It tends to stick a bit, but just scrape in those brown bits which might form on the bottom of the pan.

7. Continue to cook the eggplant until it’s thick and most of the moisture is removed, about 20 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and let cook another minute, then remove from heat and add the parsley. When cool enough to taste, check and add a bit of salt and lemon juice. Serve drizzled with pomegranate molasses, if you wish.

 

[Chitralekha]

EGGPLANT VEGETABLE SOUP

 

AUGUST 7, 2014  BY MARIA USHAKOVA 2 COMMENTS

303

Do you like eggplant? I love eggplant! It’s absolutely delicious and can be used in a variety of recipes.

The secret to preparing eggplant is getting rid of the bitter taste typical for larger eggplant varieties.

To help get rid of the bitterness, cut the eggplant into chunks, generously sprinkle with salt, place it in a colander for about 30 minutes. You will see a lot of moisture coming to the surface. Then rinse the the eggplant and pat it dry with a paper towel.

Eggplant soaks up oil like a sponge, so it’s better to grill, roast, oven-bake or saute it instead of frying in oil.

Eggplant tastes wonderful paired with other vegetables like in this soup. It’s really a perfect recipe for this time of year when vegetables are in abundance.

This soup is light enough for warmer weather. It’s also quite filling and satisfying without it being too heavy.

Hope you try it!

 

Print

 

EGGPLANT VEGETABLE SOUP

Rating: 5

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 6 portions

 

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants (about 1 pound each)

salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, grated

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 tomatoes, sliced

1 L/4 cups vegetable stock

1/2 Tbsp red paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Slice the eggplant across into several rings - about 5 to 8. Sprinkle the pieces generously with salt and let them sit in a colander for about 30 minutes. You will see a lot of liquid accumulate on top of the eggplant.
2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 to 6 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Add the red bell pepper and tomato slices and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Rinse the eggplant pieces, pat them dry with a paper towel and cut into small cubes. Place the eggplant into the pot. Mix the vegetables and let them cook for another 5 minutes until the eggplant starts to soften.
4. Add the vegetable stock, red paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
5. Once the soup is cool enough to handle, blend it using a blender or a food processor. Bring the blended soup to a simmer one more time and turn off the heat.

 

[PichiPyune]

ee oven lo taste baaguntundhaa lachi??  okasari try cehsi chudali... 

oven epud try seyaledhu ya.. only pan fry 

[Chitralekha]

GRILLED MISO GLAZED JAPANESE EGGPLANT

 

 

It always amazes me how the simplest of recipes can have such an incredible depth of flavour. This is one such dish. This recipe is based on a traditional Japanese eggplant dish called Dengaku Miso Eggplant. The traditional way of making this in Japan is to drape the eggplant in the miso sauce, which is a thinner version of the Miso Glaze in this recipe (I’ve included directions to turn the recipe into a sauce).

Miso and eggplant is an awesome combination of flavours. If you haven’t tried it before, you’re in for a treat. I’ve put a summer spin on this traditional dish by making it a glaze and grilling it. This creates a melt-in-your-mouth eggplant with an incredible caramelisation that I wish I could bottle up and snack on. By cooking it on the grill you get the added benefit of the smokiness, but you can also pan fry it.

There are two important things to remember when making this:

1. Cook over medium heat. Otherwise you’ll burn the eggplant before the inside is cooked. And uncooked eggplant is one of the most disappointing things in life – you know when you bite into a big hunk of eggplant, expecting it to be melting and gooey inside but instead it’s like biting into a hard sponge? Ew.

2. It caramelises quickly so don’t leave the grill once you flip the glazed side over! It will only take 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on how hot your grill is.

This is a stunning vegetarian grilling dish to add to your repertoire, definitely on to pop into yourRecipeTin app! Why don’t you create your own personal Outdoor Grilling collection?

 

5.0 from 1 reviews

GRILLED MISO GLAZED JAPANESE EGGPLANT

 

PRINT

PREP TIME

5 mins

COOK TIME

10 mins

TOTAL TIME

15 mins

 

Miso and eggplant is a gorgeous combination of flavours. If you've never tried it before, you're in for a treat. The traditional Japanese way of making this is not grilled, it is served with the eggplant sautéed and draped with a miso sauce which is simply a thinner version of the miso glaze (see notes for directions). By grilling this, you get an incredible caramelisation which I find irresistible, while the inside is melt-in-your-mouth. This dish can be cooked on the barbecue or on stove top, though I really encourage you to try it on the grill if you can because the smokey flavours really make this something special.

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Recipe type: BBQ, Barbecue, Grilling

Cuisine: Asian, Japanese

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Japanese eggplants, halved lengthwise
• 3 tbsp canola oil (or vegetable oil)

Miso Glaze

• ¼ cup white miso ("Shire Miso)
• 2 tbsp Mirin
• 1 tbsp Sake (Japanese cooking wine)
• 1 tbsp sugar

Garnish

• 1 shallot/scallion finely sliced
• 1 tsp sesame seeds (preferably toasted)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat grill to medium (grill side, not hot plate) or a heavy based pan over medium heat. It's important only to use medium heat because otherwise the eggplant will burn before it cooks through.
2. Combine the Miso Glaze ingredients and whisk to combine and remove lumps.
3. Brush the cut side of each eggplant with the oil. Do it 2 to 3 times to use up all the oil.
4. Place the cut side down on the grill and cook for 4 minutes until it turns a light golden brown.
5. Turn over, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. While it is cooking, use a spoon to spread a generous amount of Miso Glaze on the cut side of each eggplant.
6. Squeeze the side of the eggplant with your tongs (or fingers if you can handle the heat!) to check for doneness - it should be squishy and soft.
7. Turn over and grill just for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just to caramelise the glaze.
8. Remove from grill, garnish with shallots and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

 

[Chitralekha]

Eggplant Pizza

 

Pizza made on a base of roasted eggplant, from a recipe found in From Julia Child's Kitchen.

 

If you're interested in food, you must have heard that August 15 would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday.  I was honored to be one of the bloggers asked to share thoughts of Julia in a tribute written for PBS Food, and my friend Lydia completely captured why food bloggers want to honor Julia in her post on Six Lessons I Learned About Food Blogging from Julia Child.  Julia was known for her appreciation of bread, butter, and wine, so when you're writing a blog focused on low-glycemic cooking, finding a suitable Julia Child recipe that will appeal to your readers can be a challenge.  That's why I was so excited to find Eggplant Pizzas in From Julia Child's Kitchen, my one and only Julia Child cookbook.  This recipe illustrates perfectly how Julia was ahead of her time with this low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian, and low-glycemic pizza.

(This recipe is part of the Cook for Julia project that's part of the celebration at PBSFood.  Thanks for the inspiration Julia, and also for showing us that cooking gourmet food at home was not only possible, but also a lot of fun.  Check after my recipe for links to other blog posts featuring recipes from Julia, and see more  recipe ideas on Facebook from PBS.food.)

I must confess that even though this was Julia Child, I did make a few minor changes in the recipe.  I cut the eggplant slightly thicker than Julia said and also roasted them uncovered rather than covered with foil.  I also used some thinly sliced fresh basil on the pizzas, a change I am sure Julia would approve of.  Other than that, the recipe is really quite close to Julia's version.  Julia suggested this as a first course or side dish, but I ate it as the main dish, with a Summer Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette, Goat Cheese, and Fresh Herbs on the side.  And although I'm not sure Julia would have been excited about the idea of Meatless Monday, this was a very satisfying meatless meal.

 

For this recipe you'll need a globe eggplant, about 9 inches long.  (The one I had weighed about 1/2 pound.)

 

Cut the eggplant in slices about 3/4 inch thick, trying hard to make them all the same thickness.
 

Then lay the eggplant slices on a double layer of paper towels and salt generously to draw out the water.  (Julia says this is "to  remove excess moisture and puckery quality.)

 

While the eggplant sits, make the sauce.  Start by cooking a generous amount of garlic in olive oil.
 

Then add a can of good quality petite dice tomatoes (or 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes), dried Italian seasoning, and dried oregano.  Let the sauce simmer, adding a tablespoon or two of water whenever it seems dry.

 

After 30 minutes, you can see the liquid that's released from the eggplant.  Blot eggplant dry with paper towels (this also wipes off the excess salt.)

 

Brush the eggplant with oil, sprinkle with dried herbs, and roast at 375F/190C for about 25 minutes.  (Julia says "not so long that the slices become mushy and lose their shape.")

 

While the eggplant roasts, thinly slice fresh basil (if using) and measure out the mozzarella.  (I mixed together 1/2 cup each of low-fat mozzarella blend and Parmesan cheeses, but I only used about 2/3 cup total.)

 

Here's how the eggplant looks after it's roasted for 25 minutes.
 

Divide the sauce mixture among the eggplant pieces and top each with some sliced basil.
 

Then top each one with a generous amount of cheese.
 

Put pizzas under the broiler, just until the cheese is melted and serve.

 

Julia Child's Eggplant Pizzas (Tranches d'aubergine á  l'italienne)
(Makes 3-4 servings or 6-8 appetizer servings, recipe adapted from one found in From Julia Child's Kitchen.)

Ingredients: 
1 globe eggplant, about 8 ounces and 9-10 inches long
about 1 T salt, for drawing water out of eggplant
about 2 T olive oil, for brushing eggplant before roasting
about 2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, for sprinkling on eggplant before roasting
10 large basil leaves, cut in chiffonade strips (optional)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 cup finely grated low-fat mozzarella blend 
hot red pepper flakes for sprinkling finished pizza (optional)

Sauce Ingredients:
2-3 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped 
1 can (14.5 oz.) good quality petite diced tomatoes with liquid (or use 2 cups peeled and diced fresh tomatoes)
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning blend
1/4 tsp. dried oregano (use Greek or Turkish oregano)

Instructions:

Cut off both ends of the eggplant; then cut it into 3/4 inch thick slices (trying to make them the same thickness!)  Put the eggplant pieces on a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt.  Let the eggplant sit with the salt on it for about 30 minutes to draw out the liquid.  (After the eggplant sits for 15 minutes, turn on the oven to 375F/190C.)

 

While the eggplant sits, make the sauce.  Heat 2-3 tsp. olive oil (depending on your pan) and saute the finely chopped garlic just until it becomes fragrant.  (Don't let it brown.)  Add the petite diced tomatoes, dried Italian seasoning, and dried oregano and let the sauce cook at a low simmer until it's thickened, breaking up the tomatoes with a fork as it cooks.  (Add water as needed, a few tablespoons at a time as the sauce cooks, keeping it hot by simmering at very low heat until it's needed for the eggplant slices.)

 

After 30 minutes, wipe the eggplant dry with paper towels (this also removes most of the salt.)  Spray a roasting sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray, lay eggplant slices on, brush the tops of the eggplant with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried Italian seasoning.  Roast the eggplant about 25 minutes (but "not so long that the slices become mushy and lose their shape" as Julia says.)  

 

While the eggplant roasts, thinly slice the fresh basil leaves (if using) and combined freshly grated Parmesan and low-fat mozzarella blend.  After 25 minutes or when eggplant pieces are done, remove eggplant from the oven and turn oven setting to broil.  Spread a few tablespoons of sauce on the top of each eggplant slice, sprinkle with thin basil slices (if using) and top with a generous amount of cheese.  Put pizzas under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.  (This took 6-7 minutes for me, but I was using a toaster oven and in a more powerful broiler it would probably only take a few minutes.)  Serve hot, with red pepper flakes to sprinkle on pizza if desired.

[Chitralekha]

Oven Baked Eggplant Fries

• Servings: Makes sides for 4
• Print

A twist on your typical french fry, these eggplant fries are not only healthy but taste great! Get your veggies in with these crispy on the outside, soft in the middle fries!

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• • 1 eggplant
  • a drizzle of your favorite cooking oil (or veggie broth if you are avoiding oil)
  • 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 1 cup almond meal
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)

note: You can sub another flour for almond meal to make this nut free. I removed some of the outer skin to take out some of the bitterness. The touch of maple syrup helps with this too.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400. Wash and cut eggplant into thin fry like sticks. The thinner they are the crispier they will get.

Put eggplant pieces in a deep bowl and sprinkle with oil (if using), salt, pepper, paprika and maple syrup. Mix to coat.

Place almond meal and nutritional yeast (if using) in another bowl or dish and mix. In small handfuls, put eggplant pieces in bowl of almond meal and toss to coat well.

Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment and bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on thickness, or until golden brown. Serve with your favorite dip.

 

[bakara]

:3D_Smiles: egg plant meeda padinav eroju,  nee fav aa?