Let’s clear the air before I present you with today’s stellar recipe with sub-par photos.
1. I do my laundry at home, not a Laundromat.
2. The $20 was the Husband’s — and he was aware of the situation.
Today I was craving comfort food — I’m talking something kind of greasy and oily here. It is really very unusual for me to want something like this, so I just went with it. I had half of a huge eggplant hanging out in my fridge just begging to be used, so I figured eggplant parmesan was on the menu for tonight!
I came to the realization tonight that Italian food really does take a little bit of effort. Not that it’s difficult, but it just takes long & requires a lot of dish washing. Once I got the sauce under control (yes, I always make homemade sauce), I got to work on my eggplant parmesan. I’ve made eggplant parmesan in the past, but let’s be honest here. It doesn’t taste as good unless it’s pan fried first.
There, I said it.
The first thing I did was make my breadcrumbs. I toasted a piece of gluten free sandwich bread, and I tossed it in the food processor with 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast, oregano, garlic, pepper, basil, a handful of walnuts.
Then, I sliced up my eggplant (see them stacked so strategically below?), made a flax egg, and set up my breading station. From left to right, I had:
flax egg bowl, brown rice flour bowl, breadcrumb bowl
I dipped each one of the slices into the three bowls (in the order in which I listed them) and made sure each piece was coated thoroughly. I then pan fried the slices for 2-3 minutes on each side (just to get some browning). This required a lot of olive oil — I won’t lie to you. If you’re looking for a low fat eggplant parmesan, this isn’t it. Is it still healthy? Absolutely. There is nothing unhealthy about olive oil.
After the slices had been browned, I laid them out on a paper towel to help mop up any excess oil. Then I foiled and greased a baking sheet. I stuck the eggplant into the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
The result was more delicious than I could have imagined. The eggplant was tender, the breading was crunchy, and my marinara sauce never fails me.
Along with the eggplant parmesan, I had some roasted broccoli (tossed in olive oil & roasted for 20 minutes at 400 degrees). My stomach is now bursting at the seams, I have oil seeping through my pores, and I am a happy lady.
even better eggplant parmesan
- 1/2 eggplant, sliced in 1/4 inch slices
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flax mixed with 6 tbsp warm water)
- 1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs
- olive oil, for frying
- Mix your flax egg to let them sit and mold together while you are preparing the eggplant.
- Slice your eggplant in 1/4 inch slices (some people like to salt their eggplant and let it sit to draw out the bitterness — I can go either way. If you do this, however, make sure you rinse off the eggplant when you’re done with the salting)
- Set up your breading station. In three separate bowls, you should have: flax eggs, 1/2 cup brown rice flour (or any flour), and 1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs.
- Dip your eggplant slices one at a time into the flax egg, into the brown rice flour, and the breadcrumbs. Be sure your eggplant is covered thoroughly.
- Heat olive oil (enough for frying — coat the bottom of the pan) into a large frying pan. Once the oil is heated, place eggplant slices into the pan and brown on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Repeat process until all eggplant has been browned.
- Place eggplant slices onto paper towels to absorb any extra oil.
- Then, the eggplant needs to be placed onto a greased baking sheet.
- Cook eggplant at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping once.
Question: I just realized there is absolutely no parmesan in this recipe. Is it still allowed to be called eggplant parmesan?
PS — Today is the last day to enter the Nuts Online giveaway! Enter now for a gluten free sample pack. Happy entering!
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