Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna (slightly adapted from Woman’s Day, Servings: 8, Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 Tbsp. olive oil

·         1 large egg

·         4 egg whites

·         1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs

·         ½ cup all-purpose flour

·         2 medium (about 2 ¼ pounds total) eggplants

·         1 container (16-oz.) lowfat small-curd cottage cheese

·         1 container (15-oz.) part-skim ricotta

·         1 ½  cups part-skim mozzarella, grated

·         ½ cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

·         2 Tbsp. grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

·         Black pepper

·         1 cup roughly chopped fresh basil

·         ½ cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

·         1 jar marinara sauce

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Cover two large rimmed baking sheets with foil, spray with non-stick cooking spray. Beat the egg and egg whites together in a shallow bowl. Place the bread crumbs and flour in separate shallow bowls. Add 2 Tbsp. oil to the bread crumbs and mix to combine.
2. Slice the eggplants into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Dip the eggplant rounds in the flour, then the eggs (letting any excess drip off), and finally in the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently to help them adhere; transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Roast until the eggplant is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, ½ cup Romano or Parmesan, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Fold in the basil and parsley.
4. Spread ½ cup marinara on the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Top with a layer of eggplant (8 to 12 slices) and ½ cup marinara, and dollop with a third of the ricotta mixture (about 1 ½ cups). Repeat eggplant, marinara, and ricotta layers twice. Top with the remaining ½ cup marinara. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella and 2 Tbsp. Romano.
5. Cover the dish tightly with a piece of foil (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray) and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I’ll start off by saying that I did not have enough eggplant to have three layers, so I ended with the cheese mixture and topped with more cheese!  I also used dried basil and parsley instead of fresh (1/3 of original amount) and a garden vegetable marinara sauce.  I used more panko and egg white than originally called for; the above accounts for those additional ingredients.  I used slightly less flour, but I kept the above at ½ cup.

This dish is very Italian – and very cheesy.  Now, I love cheese, but I would not use so much next time.  I think that I would cut it back, maybe using 2/3 of the amount called for in the original recipe. Of course, my husband didn’t think there was too much cheese.  He loved this and enjoyed helping to make it.  The cheese and sauce make the dish very creamy.  The eggplant remained tender and was fairly easy to cut through, I didn’t even need to use a knife.

This dish reheats well, so great for leftovers.  I look forward to making this again.

Spicy Eggplant with Cauliflower and Basil

Spicy Eggplant with Cauliflower and Basil (from Real Simple, Total Time: 45 minutes, Servings: 5-6)

Ingredients

·         1 ½ cups rice

·         kosher salt

·         2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

·         1 tsp. dried ginger

·         1/3 cup olive oil

·         2 tsp. Thai red curry paste

·         3 small or baby eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut lengthwise into wedges

·         ½ head cauliflower (about 1 pound), broken into florets

·         1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

·         2 cups bean sprouts

·         ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions

1.       Heat oven to 450º F.

2.       In a large saucepan, make rice according to bag or box.

3.       Meanwhile, whisk together the garlic, ginger, oil, curry paste, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, and ½ cup water. Toss with the eggplants and cauliflower.

4.       Transfer to a roasting pan in a single layer. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding the chickpeas during the last 5 minutes.

5.       Remove the vegetables from oven and toss with the bean sprouts and basil. Place 1 cup of rice on each of 4 plates and top with some of the vegetables.

I have two main issues with this recipe.  First, it is not spicy the way it is – not even my husband thought it was.  Second, the eggplant gets really mushy and it is kind of a gross texture.  That said, adding a bit of Sriracha definitely helped spice up the dish.  The overall taste is OK – I cannot really pinpoint a specific taste, but the different spices work well with the curry paste so that there is no overwhelming flavor.  I like the addition of the bean sprouts – adding a vegetable that I am not used to eating is always nice.  The chickpeas and cauliflower remain crisp and crunchy, which is a nice change from the mushy eggplant and soft rice.  I do not think that I will be making this recipe again.

Nirvana Fine Indian Restaurant - Wilmington, DE

After a few stops on the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, my husband and I decided to order Takeout from Nirvana Fine Indian Restaurant (located in Independence Mall, Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE) and instead of going out to a restaurant.  We used Takeout Taxi – which is a great service when you are feeling too lazy to go out and get the food yourself.  Yes, it can be a little pricey, but we ended up with five meals out of our one order, so I don’t think that’s too bad.

I ordered the Bombay Potato side dish to serve as an appetizer and then ordered two curries, Mixed Vegetable and Bagare Baingan.  I specified Hot for both of them (there were four options, Mild, Medium, Hot or Very Hot).  Both of the curries tasted good, but they were not quite as hot as I expected – next time I will know to order Very Hot.  The Bombay Potato dish had potatoes cooked in a light gravy with peas and tomatoes.  There was also some herb on them, possibly cilantro.  The taste was a little sweet and the potatoes were nicely cooked.  I did not care for them, but my husband loved them.  Both curries had a lot of excess oil, so I would recommend being careful on the amount that you eat.  The naan was soft and pliable, but held its own next to the curry.  The Bagare Baingan curry was baby eggplants cooked in traditional gravy consisting of sesame seed, ground nut, cumin, tamarind and coconut.  This was definitely the more oily of the two curries that I ate, but it was still tasty.  The eggplant was a bit mushy.  The Mixed Vegetable Curry consisted of carrots, green beans, and a few other veggies cooked with herbs and spices in a thick sauce.  This was the spicier of the two curries – and I liked it!  It was slightly greasy, but not overly so.  The vegetables had a nice crunch to them.  For a self-made buffet, this wasn’t bad.  Just don’t put curry on a paper plate!

Grilled Herbed Ratatouille and Polenta

Grilled Herbed Ratatouille and Polenta (adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings: 4, Total Time: 45 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 small eggplant

·         1 medium zucchini

·         1 small leek

·         ¼ cup olive oil

·         2 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary

·         ½ tsp. salt

·         ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

·         1 14 ½  oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

·         1 cup cornmeal

·         2 cups water

·         1 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.      Slice the eggplant, zucchini, and leek crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. In a small bowl combine the oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Brush the vegetables with the oil mixture.

2.      Preheat an open indoor electric grill on high setting, if available. Arrange half the vegetables on the grill rack. Grill 6 to 8 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender and grill marks appear, turning once. Remove vegetables from grill rack or pan; set aside. Repeat with remaining vegetables.

3.      Meanwhile, mix cornmeal, water, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan.  Mix until combined.  Add more water to get the polenta to your desired texture.  Allow to heat through.

4.      In a medium saucepan, heat the tomatoes until boiling. Add the grilled vegetables. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or to desired consistency, stirring occasionally.

5.      To serve, place a spoonful of polenta into a bowl; spoon the vegetable mixture over the polenta.

The original recipe called for ½ of an eggplant, 1 small zucchini, and 1 fennel bulb.  I chose to use the whole eggplant and a medium zucchini because the more the merrier!  Actually, it seemed that only that amount of vegetables wouldn’t be enough for the full meal.  I subbed a leek for the fennel bulb (1. Because there were no small fennel bulbs at the grocery store, and 2. Because I don’t like the licorice taste).  I found the meal to be lacking on taste, even with added rosemary to the polenta – just a bit bland.  I did add some Italian pizza cheese and that went a long way!  The recipe does not have much protein, but is high in fiber and low(er) on calories than other meals.  However, I do not think that I would make this particular recipe again. 

Fall Ratatouille

Fall Ratatouille (from KraftRecipes, Total Time: 1 hour, Servings: 8)

Ingredients

·         1 eggplant, cut into bite-size pieces

·         1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

·         1  red pepper, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

·         1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

·         ¼ cup Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing

·         1can  (14.5 oz.) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

·         2 Tbsp. Parmesan Grated Cheese

·         ½ cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions

1.      Heat oven to 350°F.

2.      Cook and stir first 5 ingredients in large skillet on medium-high heat 6 to 8 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender and lightly browned.

3.      Add tomatoes; cook 15 min., stirring occasionally. Spoon into casserole; top with cheeses.

4.      Bake 15 min. or until mozzarella is melted and vegetable mixture is heated through.

A good vegetable dish, but low on the protein.  The dish comes together well, but you can still taste the individual ingredients.  I added some extra zucchini because I didn’t want our’s to go bad, but it didn’t mess up the dish’s synergy.  The parmesan and mozzarella add a little bit of protein, but a lot of flavor.  Next time I make it, I may use Italian style diced tomatoes or through in some basil, oregano, and garlic powder to make it a little more Italian.  I have made this before and added Trader Joe’s Italian Sausage to help out on the protein-side.  A nice warm dish that sits well in your stomach on a cool fall day.

Masamoto – Glen Mills, PA

I know that sushi isn’t something that you immediately think of when the word vegetarian comes up, but I like to try new vegetable rolls when I get the opportunity.  I went to Masamoto with some of my coworkers for lunch.  I’m sorry that I never went before – I didn’t know what I was missing!  The restaurant is in a strip mall off of Concord Pike, nestled next to a Five Guys.  The interior is very streamlined – crisp lines, minimal decorations, but nice.  I had a bit of a decision to make since they have more vegetable rolls than other sushi restaurants I have visited.  I decided to go with the House Salad and the Eggplant Roll.

The salad was just lettuce with cucumber and tomato. I ordered the ginger dressing on the side and it was fantastic.  Sweet and tangy are good adjectives to describe it.  The Eggplant Roll was warm, but not tempura.  It had a very good sauce on it, slightly sweet.  Pretty good – no outstanding flavors, but a good roll with a creamy center.