Well, this is embarassing.....

I'll just come right out and say it. I'm going to share a recipe. Its a first for me, and I doubt it will become a habit as this is not a cooking blog. But I thought this one was just SO good that I'd share it.

There are a lot of benefits to cutting back on our consumption of meat. Red meat in particular, but all meat. Benefits to our health and benefits to the environment. But the problem is, its hard to find meatless meals that actually taste good, fill you up and are as enjoyable as they are good for you.

So here is one to get you started. Its sort of like small, individual lasagnas.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN STACKS

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant per 2 servings
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
1 jar of your preferred spaghetti sauce
Shredded mozarella and parmesan cheeses
Garlic, basil and black pepper
Olive oil

Preparation

Heat the oven to 375deg.
Lightly coat a large sheet pan with olive oil
Place the flour, eggs and bread crumbs in 3 shallow bowls.
Cut the ends off the eggplant and remove the skin; cut into 12 slices.
Dredge each slice of eggplant in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs.
Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Turn over the eggplant slices and bake for another 10 minutes.
In a medium casserole dish, coat the bottom with spaghetti sauce and place 4 slices of the baked eggplant in the dish.
Cover each slice with grated mozarella cheese and sauce.
Place another eggplant slice on top of each and cover with mozzarella cheese and sauce as before.
Place the last 4 eggplant slices on top, cover with sauce till it runs down the sides of the stack, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Season to taste with garlic, basil and black pepper.
Bake for about 8 minutes and serve hot.


Eliminating the frying and using whole wheat flour and bread crumbs turns what is usually a fat and calorie bomb into a nutritious meal. Serve with whole wheat spaghetti and steamed asparagus or broccoli.

You won't miss the meat, I promise.