I had a craving for Eggplant Parm today, so I decided to whip up a batch of my version for lunch.
Traditional Eggplant Parmesan is so delicious, but all that frying in oil; the bread crumbs, sauce and layers of fatty mozzarella cheese? Not so healthy. Reserve that for an occasional treat.
I came up with a simple recipe that satisfies my desire for Eggplant Parm. I use fresh cherry tomatoes instead of tomato sauce and VEGAN mozzarella (less fat). My recipe calls for very little oil and NO frying required. And it's so easy to make.
Just a little advice, here: If you rely on all that sauce, cheese and bread crumbs to camouflage the taste of the eggplant, this probably isn't the recipe for you.
However......
If you LOVE eggplant as much as I do, you will really enjoy this dish.
Take 1 small egg plant and slice into thin circles. Just make sure they're not too thin. You don't want them to fall apart.
Brush both sides of each round lightly with a mixture of olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and add freshly ground pepper.
Grill your eggplant slices. You can use a BBQ, if you wish. I used my George Foreman grill today.
Take the grilled eggplant and begin piling it into a glass baking dish. I used a 7 X 11 inch Pyrex dish. Pile the slices on top of each other.
Slice about 12 cherry tomatoes in half and arrange on top of the eggplant slices. Pop it into a 375 degree oven and let it bake for about 30 - 45 minutes.
Remove the dish from the oven and toss about 1/4 cup of freshly shredded Vegan mozzarella cheese. I used Trader Joe's brand. Put it back into the oven until the cheese melts - about 5 minutes. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes, slice and serve!
So delicious!
Yours in Good Health,
Cynthia
xo
