E is for Eggplant

Hello blogging world! I am so proud, in my time off I have cooked and saved up some recipes to keep this blog rolling!

I never really had any eggplant dishes growing up (we are more of a squash family)! It wasn't until college when my dear friend Mary Grace mentioned that she liked it that I thought I might try it. And the most popular eggplant dish is eggplant parmesan. And to save a few calories I chose the no-fry version!

Ingredients

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 small eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch thick slices
1 cup dried bread crumbs, seasoned
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup spaghetti sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a small bowl beat the egg and water together. Place the bread crumbs in shallow dish. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture then in crumbs, being sure to coat thoroughly.



Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add eggplant slices and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and tender. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over eggplant during last minute of cooking to melt.



While eggplant is cooking, combine spaghetti sauce and pepper flakes in a microwave-safe measuring cup. Cover with plastic wrap and cook at high power for 2 minutes or until heated through.
Top eggplant with sauce and Parmesan cheese and serve.



I thought this dish turned out well. You might wonder what the bluish purple bits are on top of the eggplant. Well, once I got all the ingredients together to start cooking, I realized that I didn't have the dried bread crumbs. So I had to compromise and use crushed tortilla chips instead!


BONUS


Another E food that I have recently become obsessed with is Edamame! I never can pass it up at sushi restaurants, and when I found out that you can easily buy it at the grocery store, I was really excited!! All you do is put the bag in the microwave for about five minutes, add some salt, and voile! Just like you get at the restaurant!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!