Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Turns out I  couldn't use all my infant sized Eggplant the other night so I had some already dehydrated eggplant slices ready to use in my fridge.  This turned out to be the perfect comfort food. Baking the eggplant with the breadcrumbs leaves it crispy and reduces the calories and fat of frying them in oil as you do in the traditional recipe. There were just 2 of us so I made these into 2 individual Eggplant Parm stacks in the same 9x10 baking dish. I wanted bread to dip in this so bad but visions of the pool and Bikini Season, Bikini Season, Bikini Season helped me resist. 

You will need:

Eggplant- dehydrated and sliced thinly

1 egg mixed with a splash of water

1 1/2 cups Italian Breadcrumbs

1 1/2 jars tomato sauce

1 bag Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese to finish

salt

pepper

Italian Seasonings

Pre heat oven to 350.

Here are your ingredients.  

Most recipes for eggplant parm call for 2 eggs. I wanted to cut back on calories and cholesterol so I only used 1 egg and added a splash of water to make the mixture go farther.  Also add a touch of salt to your egg wash.

Be sure your bowls for the bread crumbs and egg are wide enough for you to dredge your eggplant!

 Bake your breaded eggplant at 350 for 5 minutes per side. It may take a little longer, just make sure they are nice and golden.   Once they are done crank your oven up to 400 so you can get this show on the road.

Add a layer of tomato sauce to the bottom of your baking dish. Then add your breaded parmesan, another layer of sauce, salt, pepper and herbs, and then your cheese. Repeat. 

End with sauce and cheese and put in the oven at 400 for 25 minutes.

I thought it would be a nice healthy touch to plate your eggplant parm on a bed of raw spinach. I use a Balsamic Glaze on top of my leaves and it creates a nice bite as you eat your dish. You can buy this at the grocery in the same aisle as your Olive Oil and Balsamic and it is absolutely delicious and fancies up any dish! (Perfect for Caprese Salads as well!)

Add a touch of parmesan cheese!
























ENJOY!

Vegan Thai Peanut Wraps!

This is the easiest and healthiest way to curb any Thai Peanut sauce craving ever.  It costs basically nothing the ingredients are few and cheap~ 

 To make all you need is:

A Bag of shredded carrots (or shred your own)
1 shredded zucchini
1 head of cabbage
Sesame Oil
Honey
Creamy Peanut Butter
Ginger Powder
Cinnamon or pumpkin pie seasoning
Raisins (Optional)
Sesame seeds to finish (optional)

In a saucepan add some Sesame oil. Start sauteing your zucchini, carrots and raisins. Add a large tablespoons of creamy peanut butter and some honey. This melt down and coats your ingredients and creates a delicious peanut sauce. Add some of your ginger, a dash of cinnamon, and sprinkle in some sesame seeds for crunch and texture.


I use this little device to shred my zucchini. It works well about 50% of the time. The rest of the time I am calling it mean names and cursing at it. It does the job, one way or the other though.

Saute your shredded zucchini and carrots in a saute pan with some sesame oil. You can also saute your veggies in Coconut Oil if you prefer. The peanut butter melts down and creates a easy at home peanut sauce! 

I was out of cinnamon and subbed Pumpkin pie spice instead which is very similar but has clove as well. It worked great.

Cut the bottom off your cabbage stalk so you can more easily peel off cabbage leaves.

Wrap your cabbage leaf around your ingredients and it like a burrito! Enjoy!

Rich & Skinny Supper Club- Low Carb Eggplant Lasagna/Cucumber Hummus Medallions/Hail the Kale Caesar Salad

  It's a beautiful Saturday night and we wanted a healthy, affordable meal in with the girls before heading out for the night. I put together a super simple, cheap menu that was low carb, vegetarian and didn't require a lot of ingredients. We started with Cucumber Hummus Medallions. These take 3 ingredients, take no time to prepare, and look fancy while being a easy finger food that is a great healthy pre dinner snack that will not ruin your dinner appetite! Eggplant lasagna takes a bit to cook so starting with something to snack on is a good idea!

Tonights Menu:

Cucumber Hummus Medallions

Hail The Kale Caesar Salad

Low Carb Eggplant Zucchini Lasagna

Appetizer:

Cucumber Hummus Medallions:

1 cucumber

1 container of hummus 

Small Ziplock Baggy

Optional Topping: Sun dried tomatoes 

Here are the ingredients:

Use your mandolin slicer to create medium thickness cucumber circles. 

Place your ziplock bag in a small glass to hold it steady. Spoon in your hummus. Then squeeze it all to the bottom of the baggy and cut a small opening on one corner so you can "pipe" the hummus onto your cucumber medallions.

Next pipe the hummus onto your cucumber is a circular pattern.

Add your sun dried tomatoes to your hummus. You could add Kalamata Olives, or a slice of Feta cheese here instead and they would also be delicious!

Your finished Cucumber Hummus Medallions!

Serve your healthy low carb appetizers to your guests!

Imogen decided to join our Rich and Skinny Supper. Sista's got some serious lb's to lose.

 Next was our Hail the Kale Caesar Salad. You will need a bundle of kale, some spinach (optional- you can use all Kale if you like) a great Caesar dressing ,some Parmesan cheese and some Italian seasoned bread crumbs (This is your secret ingredient!)

I love Brianna's dressings. They have all natural quality ingredients and are all delicious.




Peel your Kale off the stalk and tear into small pieces.Add a couple hand fulls of Spinach. Add some dressing, less is more to start. You do not want to drench your salad! Add some parmesan cheese and toss. Add your breadcrumbs, toss. Then finish with more breadcrumbs on top. Do not add your breadcrumbs too early or they will get soggy! Make sure you are ready to serve your salad before you add them! The crunchy crumbs really make this salad unique and delicious!! For a light main course you could add some sauteed shrimp to this salad! So good.

Table is set and ready for my guests! I love mixing and matching my dishes. Classic blue and white Willow pattern on bottom, with more modern geometric patterned black and white salad plates on top I got for a great price at Z Gallery. I even lit the candles in the branch chandelier for this party! Hello romance!! Just kidding, it's just me, and my single girlfriends, and my cats. Damn it.

The other day I found a eggplant the size of a newborn infant at the grocery and thought I had to go home and have a supper club with it. It was huge and would feed a crowd of hungry gals on a budget and on a diet. It ended up being too big and I did not use it all, but I made another delicious recipe with the leftover eggplant I will post soon!

Eggplant can be tricky. It holds a lot of water so if you don't draw that out it can take forever to cook and be tough and spongey. To prevent this you want to slice your eggplant in to thin slices on a mandolin and then put them layer by layer in a colander and sprinkle generously with salt. Let them sit about 15 minutes this way and it will tenderize the eggplant and draw out the water. Be sure to rinse and wipe off the salt before cooking or you will be one bloated babe.

Mandolin Slicer-if yours has settings use the middle-not too thin not too thick

My eggplant was so big I cut it length wise in half before I sliced it into thin "lasagna noodles" with my mandolin. The mandolin is another essential super cheap kitchen tool you will want in low carb cooking. They evenly and quickly slice up anything which a)looks nicer b) helps cook evenly and faster. I got mine at TJ Maxx for $6.99.

Salt your eggplant in a colander to salt. Leave sitting with salt around 15 minutes and then rinse.

In a 9x10 baking dish start with a layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of your dish. Add your first layer of eggplant on top of that.

Next add your sliced zucchini on top of that. Add a layer of sauce on top of that and any additional veggies or ingredients, I added baby Portabella mushrooms. Then add a layer of cheese. Be sure to season with salt , pepper and and Italian seasonings between layers.

Continue that layer pattern, veggies, sauce, cheese until you have reached the top. You want your final layer to be cheese and sauce. 

Place your finished lasagna covered in the oven at 425 for 35 minutes.  It may take longer, if your eggplant didn't get tender enough. You will know if is done when you can very easily stab it with a knife and feel that it is very soft.



Meanwhile, pour your guests some wine and take a load off!

Allow your lasagna to rest for 10 minutes and the liquids will absorb. You want to be sure to pat dry your eggplant well or you will end up with really watery lasagna.

Piping hot lasagna is ready to be served!

Dinner was a success! Time to blow out the candles and hit the town!

Workweek Breakfast of Champions:The Green Smoothie

This smoothie is super fast, delicious, and I can make it in my $25 dollar blender from Walmart. Nothing fancy needed here broke sistas! You can add to this some great ingredients or keep to the Original recipe that is delicious even to people who are terrified by the words "Green Smoothie". I don't need fruit in mine, but strawberries are my favorite fruit addition if you need.

In a blender add:
2 handfuls raw spinach
1 half ripe diced avocado
2 cups Almond milk (I use unsweetened Vanilla)
Some good shakes cinnamon
2 tablespoons honey

Optional ingredients to make this pretty much superhero food:
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
2 tablespoons Flaxseed oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 stalks kale pulled off the thick vein


Blend well and enjoy!!

Rich & Skinny Vegetarian Taco Supper!

I LOVE TACOS. As a kid my mom would take us to Taco Mayo (think that maybe was a midwest chain that no longer exists) and we would order 20 little taco's and my sister, mom and I would destroy them. I no longer eat fast food, or meat so I had to come up with a new way to satisfy this delicious craving. 

First things first. The life changing taco shell. Meet Tiara. These small, super thin, low calorie (40) low carb (4) per taco shells are amazingly authentic, super cheap and they soften up when you put your warm ingredients inside and are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Meet Tiara Taco shells. (Buy the 18 pack. These will be gone in a flash of an eye)

Here is the rest of the members of the meal. Somehow the MVP of the meal is missing in this shot (The Zuchinni) I think my friend C was bringing it, she is always pawning off her half dead vegetables on me)

Add zuchinni as well, depending on how many people you are feeding add one or 2. 1 zuchinni and these ingredients feed about 4. Add an extra Avocado if you have guac lovers! Ours went quick!



Chop your zuchinni into into small cubes. (watch your fingers but if you just go over it with your knife a lot if will be fine)

Throw your zucchini in a pan with olive oil first. It will be the longest ingredient to cook. After you have strained your corn, and beans in a colander press out any remaining water and add to the zucchini. Add your package of Taco Seasoning and stir until warm. Finish with cheddar or mexican style shredded cheese in the pan and stir.

Set out your taco shells (no need to heat or pre cook) a bowl of your salsa, sliced avocado, cheese , hot sauce and any other condiments your gals request and enjoy!

Ciao Bella! Italian Low Carb Scramble

I love breakfast. Quite possibly my favorite meal of the day. I also love eggs. They are a delicious protein bomb and only 70 calories an egg, and 7 grams of protein they are a great way to pack in protein. I always opt for organically raised Omega 3 brown eggs.  I spend a bit more for a local Egg Farm and inside they always have a darling handwritten poem. Protein and Poetry?! Yes please. It is OK if your eggs don't have a poem inside but try to buy local. 

One of my favorite ingredients in my Italian dishes are Sun dried tomatoes. I keep a jar in my fridge at all time. Buy the julienne sliced kind in olive oil with seasonings. I love to add a splash of their delicious oil to my scrambled eggs for extra flavor.

This recipe takes only 6 simple ingredients. You can add or take out anything you don't like. Red Onion, Asparagus or Feta cheese would be great in this dish.

Spinach, eggs, mozzarella cheese, baby portabella mushrooms, Herbs de Provence (or Italian Seasoning)
 Sun Dried Tomatoes Julienned in Seasonings and Olive Oil.

Saute your baby bella's in olive oil. I added some Red Onion, because I found it in my crisper and I could eat red onions like apples. This is when you want to hit your veggies with some seasoning. Italian spices (most importantly Oregano), Herbs De Provence, Salt, Pepper, Garlic if you want. 

Crack your eggs into a bowl. Add in some of the Sun Dried Tomato oil and as many of the actual sun dried T's as you would like. Add some sea salt, pepper and whisk until there are lots of bubbles!

Add your egg mixture into your medium heat pan that already has your cooked to tender veggies in it. The trick to scrambled eggs, is low heat and slowly turn them. Too hot and too aggressive mixing and you are going to be Little Miss Muffet on her Tuppet eating Curds and Whey. So slow and steady wins the race here.

I love Spinach but I do not like it cooked to slimy. When I think my eggs are very close to done I throw in some mozzarella or Italian Cheese and then a handful of spinach. Just toss it around in your hot eggs a minute to just feel the heat without getting slimy and then put this yumminess on a plate!!

Finished Italian scramble. You have your juicy sun dried tomatoes some perfectly cooked spinach and meaty portabellas, red onion and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top. High protein, low carb and delicious! Enjoy!