EGGPLANT MARINARA WITH PROTEIN

eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables. i could easily eat it cross-sectioned and baked with a little extra virgin olive oil. but if i want a really satisfying eggplant meal, i LOVE eggplant parmesan (but not all the calories that come with it). instead of using the traditional eggplant parmasan ingredients, this recipe is modified to accommodate my daily eating habits with some added protein.

Ingredients:

– 1 large eggplant

– 1/2 cup egg whites

– 1 cup of almond meal (you can find this at Trader Joe’s or most health food stores)

– 1 cup of canned tomato sauce (no sodium added) OR marinara sauce

– added to sauces: crushed black pepper and other Italian seasonings of choice (eg. basil, oregano)

– 1/4 cup of low-calorie mozzarella cheese (shredded or cut up; *this can be optional)

Cross-section slice the eggplant into 1/4″ thick slices and salt them to remove bitterness (refer to this link). Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dip each side of eggplant slices into eggwhites and dip into almond meal to cover both sides. Place slices on baking tray and bake until sides are brown (about 10 minutes). Now, you could easily eat it like this and put some warm tomato or marinara sauce on top without any cheese, OR you could do layers in this order using an 8×8 baking dish: 1/4 cup sauce, some mozzarella, eggplant slices, 1/4 cup sauce, eggplant slices, 1/4 sauce, remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes or until heated.

(serves 4)