Fast(ing) Food - Almost Eggplant Parmesan

Day 53, Feast Day #28,

I was going to finish up a post about something else, but I ended up making a yummy dinner and realized it ended up being low-calorie too. That means I get leftovers for tomorrow's fast day, yay! There is no actual Parmesan cheese in this recipe, so it is almost eggplant parmesan  Goat cheese is 80 calories per ounce versus 122 per ounce of actual Parmesan cheese, plus I just like the taste and texture better.

Almost Eggplant Parmesan (Yields 5-6 servings of two slices) ~261 kcal/serving
Takes 45-55 minutes

• 1 tbsp of olive oil ~120 kcal
• 1 eggplant, sliced into 1/4-1/2 inch slices with the peel on ~110 kcal
• kosher salt
• 1 cup pasta/tomato sauce ~140 kcal
• 4 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled ~320 kcal
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning (or mix of marjoram, thyme, oregano, and basil)
• 2 large eggs, beaten ~140 kcal
• 1/2 of a lemon's juice - optional ~6 kcal
• 95g buttery crackers (about 32 crackers), crushed into crumbs ~455 kcal
• 1 tsp garlic powder ~9 kcal
• 1/2 tsp onion powder ~4 kcal
• 1/4 tsp black pepper ~1 kcal

Set the oven to bake at 375 degrees.

The next thing I do is prep the eggplant, because it is best to get some of the water out of them to avoid sogginess later. I laid out a baking sheet and put down a layer of paper towels. I then lightly salt both sides of the eggplant slices with the kosher salt and lay them on the paper towels. I put another layer of paper towels on top and them put some heavy plates on them to squeeze out some of the water.

Meanwhile, prep everything else. Crush and mix the cracker crumbs in a large bowl (which you can substitute with any other breading agent like breadcrumbs or almond meal) with the garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.

Beat the eggs with the lemon juice in a shallow bowl (so you can easily dip the eggplant slices into it).

Pat dry the eggplant slices and set aside. Then lightly coat the baking sheet with the olive oil.

Dip a eggplant slice into the egg mixture so it is coated. Then put the egg-covered slice into the crumb mixture and coat evenly. Place the slice on the baking sheet. Repeat with all the slices.

Bake the slices for 15 minutes. Then remove the baking sheet and flip them over.

Top the slices with the pasta sauce and goat cheese. Put the eggplant back into the oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes. Eat!

I ate mine with some sauteed rainbow Swiss chard, onion, and garlic with a little soy sauce, pepper, salt, and maple syrup (~104 kcal/servings).