Eggplant Parm

Big mama eggplant!

I made eggplant parm tonight that I adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook. I thought I had some breadcrumbs but was out. What to do?? Improvise! I always have some kind of carby, crunchy stuff in my cabinets. I used Wasa crackers, whole wheat saltines, ground flaxseed and bran meal. I tossed all of it in a food processor with onion powder, dried oregano and 1 large minced onion. I then sliced up my huge eggplant and dipped the slices into the egg, then into the "breadcrumb" mixture. I made sure I patted down both sides so the crumbs would stick well. 

Like my official "chinese takeout" mixing bowl?

I baked the eggplant for 25 minutes ate 350 degrees. I utilized some sauce I made last week and froze. Pour a little on the bottom of a glass baking pan and place the baked eggplant slices on top. I then poured a heavenly amount sauce over top of the eggplant and topped it with low-fat mozzarella cheese.
Put the eggplant back into the oven for about 20 minutes. The cheese will become bubbly and begin to brown on the edges. I made some fettuccine as a side dish to complete the meal.


While my eggplant was cooking I decided to try make beignets from the show "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" on the food network. The recipe was super easy to make As you can see by the pictures, I had some trouble maintaining the oil temperature and the little beignets came out somewhat well done :)  . I sprinkled them with powdered sugar for good measure.
I also hate to waste food so I cooked the egg that remained from my eggplant. I made it into a little omelette for breakfast tomorrow.

My eggs are in the shape of a steak!

My Review
The eggplant came out great! The breadcrumb mixture added more depth of flavor than I expected. The eggplant was nice and tender and cut easily. The dinner was a success! I brought some to my parents for a quick taste and they loved it as well.

I need to work on my plating. I was so hungry!

A bit crispy, huh?

The beignets were pretty good but as I said; a little well done. The flavor was nice and they were surprisingly filling. I would like to try them with a nice cappucino or latte. Mmmmm!