eggplant parmesan ----->HEALTHIFIED!
Most of my family and some of my friends know that I have a soft spot for eggplant parmesan. Kind of a weird veggie to love, but hey...at least I stand out! I am convinced that if you have had a veggie you don't like, it is most likely not the veggie (unless you are allergic of course) but instead the way it was prepared. Preparation of any food can make or break it. I was beginning to think that due to the unhealthy way that eggplant parmesan is typically made it would be a once in a blue moon treat.
That was until a challenger in my free online fitness accountability group posted this recipe and I made my own tweaks to it. You can use your oven or I actually used my toaster oven to BAKE "fried" eggplant. This is what I did:
1 large eggplant, rinse and sliced in 1/2 inch round slices with the skin still on
1/3 c bread crumbs
2/3 c panko crumbs (provides the a good crunch without all of the grease)
1/3 c parmesan cheese
Pam Olive Oil spray
Sea salt
After you have cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices, liberally sprinkle the slices with sea salt and place them to drain for about 20-30 minutes in a colander. Once the resting time is up, rinse with cold water and DO NOT PAT DRY (the dampness will serve as a binder since we are not using egg)
Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the eggplant slices on the sheet. In a bowl, mix the crumbs and the parmesan cheese. Sprinkle and spread out a layer of the breading onto the side facing up of the eggplant and then spray with the olive oil spray.
Bake for about 17 minutes or until lightly brown. Flip the slices over with a spatula and lightly spray with the olive oil spray and spread a layer of the mixture followed by another light spritz of the olive oil spray. Bake for another 17 minutes or until golden.
**IF EGGPLANT IS NOT YOUR THING, YOU CAN EASILY SUBSTITUTE WITH CHICKEN.
If you choose to use chicken, follow the above steps after you have cut a chicken breast in half and pounded it out to about 1/4 of an inch thick.
I paired my eggplant with zucchini spaghetti that I made fresh with my Veggetti. I sauteed the zucchini with about a teaspoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of garlic, a dash of red pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons of vegetable broth. You can top it with a low sodium tomato sauce.
This meal was so good and EASY that it might end up being a weekly staple! ENJOY!
That was until a challenger in my free online fitness accountability group posted this recipe and I made my own tweaks to it. You can use your oven or I actually used my toaster oven to BAKE "fried" eggplant. This is what I did:
Oven Baked Eggplant Parmesan
1/3 c bread crumbs
2/3 c panko crumbs (provides the a good crunch without all of the grease)
1/3 c parmesan cheese
Pam Olive Oil spray
Sea salt
After you have cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices, liberally sprinkle the slices with sea salt and place them to drain for about 20-30 minutes in a colander. Once the resting time is up, rinse with cold water and DO NOT PAT DRY (the dampness will serve as a binder since we are not using egg)
Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the eggplant slices on the sheet. In a bowl, mix the crumbs and the parmesan cheese. Sprinkle and spread out a layer of the breading onto the side facing up of the eggplant and then spray with the olive oil spray.
Bake for about 17 minutes or until lightly brown. Flip the slices over with a spatula and lightly spray with the olive oil spray and spread a layer of the mixture followed by another light spritz of the olive oil spray. Bake for another 17 minutes or until golden.
**IF EGGPLANT IS NOT YOUR THING, YOU CAN EASILY SUBSTITUTE WITH CHICKEN.
If you choose to use chicken, follow the above steps after you have cut a chicken breast in half and pounded it out to about 1/4 of an inch thick.
I paired my eggplant with zucchini spaghetti that I made fresh with my Veggetti. I sauteed the zucchini with about a teaspoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of garlic, a dash of red pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons of vegetable broth. You can top it with a low sodium tomato sauce.
This meal was so good and EASY that it might end up being a weekly staple! ENJOY!
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