Foodblogging: Eggplant Casserole

I had no plans tonight so I went with one of the more involved recipes on this week's meal plan. I love eggplant, especially when it's fried, but it can be kind of a pain to work with sometimes. If you do it right it's totally worth it.

Here are all the ingredients in one place. Slice a whole large eggplant into 1/2" slices, cover with boiling water, and add a tablespoon of cider vinegar. Weigh it down with another bowl filled with water and let this sit for 15 minutes while you prep your veggies. Dice 1 large zucchini, seed and chop three Roma tomatoes, dice a large onion (or 2 small, whatever floats your boat), and finely chop about 2 tablespoons of fresh basil. I bought pre-sliced baby bella 'shrooms even though I don't usually go for the pre-handled produce. In this case, however, it was more cost effective over getting the whole ones.

Here's the frying station. Drain the eggplant and douse the slices with milk. Mix together some whole wheat flour (or regular white flour) and some sesame seeds (I used about a cup of flour and 2 Tbsp sesame seeds -- twice the amount called for in the recipe. YMMV). Season with freshly ground pepper.


Dip the milky eggplant into the flour mixture and fry the slices in olive oil over medium-high heat until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Mix together 2 cups plain breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup (or more) of shredded Parmesan cheese, and a cup of broken walnuts or almonds. I used almonds because that's what I had in my cupboard.

Spray a glass baking dish or casserole with cooking spray or just rub it with the oily paper towels you used to drain the eggplant. Put down a layer of eggplant, then a cup of sliced mushrooms, then all your tomatoes and basil.

Extreme close-up. Vegetarianism is pretty!

Now take half of your breadcrumb/cheese/nut mixture and sprinkle it over everything in the pan. Add your onions and zucchini.


Cover everything with the rest of your eggplant and the rest of the breadcrumb mixture. Drizzle with olive oil. Pop in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it so your almonds/walnuts don't burn.

Yum!

Eggplant Casserole
Source: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/site/PageServer?pagename=recipe_dinner_070312

Makes 6-8 servings

1 large eggplant
1 tablespoon of cider vinegar
2 tablespoons non-fat milk
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped or 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
2 cups stale breadcrumbs
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 large zucchini, diced
2 small onions, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut eggplant into half-inch slices. Place in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Add vinegar and let stand for 15 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

Mix flour and sesame seeds together in a large, shallow bowl or plate. Dip eggplant slices in milk, then in the flour-sesame seed mix. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan and add half the eggplant in a single layer. Fry until lightly browned on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper. Repeat with the remaining slices.

Place a layer of eggplant in a shallow ovenproof dish, top with mushrooms and tomatoes, and sprinkle with basil.

Combine breadcrumbs, walnuts and cheese in a small bowl and sprinkle half the mixture over tomatoes. Top with combined zucchini and shallots. Cover with remaining eggplant, then sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumb mixture. Drizzle with oil. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve with a fresh bean medley: butter beans, french beans and broad beans topped with a little fresh-ground pepper.

Nutrition Information per Serving
Calories 370, Total Fat 18g, Saturated Fat 2g, Cholesterol less than 5mg, Sodium 330mg, Total Carbohydrates 43g, Protein 11g