Eggplant Parmesan - for kids!

Most of the time my creativity comes by copying an idea I have seen someone else do.  But, every now and then, I get a pretty good idea.  I think this is one of those!  I wanted something special for Anna-Kate (now 3) in honor of her first dance class and her first full week of preschool.  Normally something special means ice cream with sprinkles or a cookie.  I am pretty proud of myself for coming up with something that was healthy and still translated to "special!"

Eggplant Parmesan 

To make it exciting for Anna-Kate, I created some stars out of the eggplant. Then gave her marinara for dipping rather than poured over it.  She thought the stars were really cool!

I used graffiti eggplant, a smaller variety.  AK had seen these in the store about a week ago and thought they were pretty.  

I first cut them in the traditional discs.  Then I used my knife to draw the outline of the star.

a closer view

Then, I cut the negative space away with my knife.  (The discarded portion would be great in a ratatouille or something the next day, especially if made at the same time.  You would have lunch the next day.)

I breaded and sauteed using a traditional breading station and method. (I'll add recipe at bottom.)

I served with steamed broccoli and angel hair with marinara.  So yummy and so fun!

Confession:  my girlie girl didn't like that her hands got dirty holding the eggplant to dip.  She ate it better after I cut it up for her to stab with her fork first and then dip.

I used this marinara and a traditional breading station for the eggplant:
- first bowl with flour
- second bowl with 2 eggs, beaten
- third bowl with bread crumbs mixed with Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese

Dredge the eggplant first in the flour, shaking off any excess.  Then in egg.  Then thoroughly in breadcrumb mixture.

Heat a few tbsp of olive oil in saute pan.  Place eggplant in pan until browned, about 3 minutes.  Then flip, allow that side to brown, another 3-4 minutes.  Don't crowd the pan.  It will take you a few batches (above took me 2 batches), depending on how much you are cooking.

Hope you enjoy this! and that it inspires you to do something creative for your family!

Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

Wanting eggplant, loving the last dish I made, putting any nesting energy I have into cooking, ... this dish is what I came up with. It was good!

- 8-12 thin slices of eggplant
- flour
- 2 eggs
- Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

- ~half box of pasta, cooked to al dente, 1-2 minutes less than pkg directions (optional. I didn't have any meat for this dish, so I wanted to add a little pasta to add to the heartiness factor.)

- half to full jar of favorite marinara sauce (we are spicy marinara people here!)

- 1 1/2 tbsp of butter
- 1 rounded tbsp of flour
- 1 cup milk
- salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg

- mushrooms
- 1-2 tbsp butter

- 2/3 - 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, or other Italian cheeses

Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to a saute pan on medium heat. Dredge eggplant slices in flour, then egg, and then breadcrumbs. Saute slices in pan until browned, approx 2-3 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, cook pasta. Heat marinara on low heat.

When finished with eggplant, saute mushrooms in pan with butter.

In last pan, melt butter. Whisk in the flour, then the milk. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. If desired, stir in some of the shredded cheese.
Build the lasagna. First, half of the eggplant slices. Half marinara sauce, half mushrooms, half pasta, half bechamel sauce, and then top with a little cheese. Repeat layers, ending with enough cheese to top.

So tasty!! Worth the effort, especially if you love eggplant parmesan the way I do!

Smoky Roasted Eggplant Pasta

This is soooo good! I served this for a friend's birthday, over wheat pasta with an italian breaded chicken. It was the healthiest chicken parm ever! This pasta could be served with or without the protien. And, the bonus, Anna-Kate loved it!

- 1 medium firm eggplant, halved lengthwise
- 1 head garlic (I didn't have fresh garlic so just seasoned the egglant with garlic powder)
- 2 red bell peppers, roast yourself or use store-bought roasted red peppers
- (28 oz) fire-roasted tomatoes
- pasta of choice

Preheat oven to 425.

Drizzle eggplant with evoo. Season with salt, pepper, oregano. Place face down on baking sheet. Cut ends off garlic to expose cloves. Drizzle with evoo, season with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and place beside eggplant. Bake for 40-45 minutes

Bring pot of water to boil, with salt in the water. Cook the pasta 10-12 minutes, to al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy water.

Scoop egglant flesh from the skin, adding to a food processor (blender). Add roasted peppers, garlic. Puree.

Heat tomatoes in sauce pan over medium high heat. Crush tomatoes with potato masher. Stir in vegetable puree and starchy reserved water. Heat through. Toss with pasta and serve!

So healthy and so yummy! Thanks Rachael Ray!

Eggplant Pizza

Two years ago I worked hard to make my diet more healthy. In the first two weeks, I was craving comfort food (pizza, burgers, ... good heavy comfort food). Someone told me about this. I didn't believe that it would sate my comfort food craving, but in the early days of a diet, I was desperate. It really does give you the satisfaction of good ol' comfort food.

- eggplant
- pizza sauce (homemade marinara sauce works well too)
- cheese
- pizza toppings like peppers, onion, mushrooms, turkey pepperonis

Slice the eggplant into discs. A medium to thin slice is best. Brush with olive oil. Bake in oven for 7-10 minutes. Then top with sauce, cheese, and toppings. Bake until heated through and cheese is melted.