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).

Fast(ing) Food - Veggie Scramble with Goat Cheese

Day 52, Fast Day #25

I weighed in a couple times this morning just to make sure I wasn't going crazy. I managed to drop another pound, for a total of 17 lbs lost. It probably helps I didn't overeat like crazy yesterday (2,077 kcal).

Zach and I have the day off today for Memorial Day, so I got to cook a hot meal for my fast day lunch, instead of the salad and soup I usually eat on fast days at work. The result was me whipping up this Mexican-inspired scramble. The goat cheese and cilantro balance the spice from the cayenne pepper, but one could make this recipe without the goat cheese to shave off calories. One can also use sour cream instead of goat cheese. I am lactose-intolerant though and prefer the creaminess of goat cheese. This scramble turned out so good that Zach and I were nearly licking our plates:

Veggie Scramble with Goat Cheese (Yields 2 big servings) ~424 kcal/serving
Takes 30 minutes

• 1 red potato with skin, diced ~150 kcal
• half of a onion (I used a yellow one), diced ~30 kcal
• half of a medium-sized bell pepper (I used a yellow one) diced ~10 kcal
• 1 Roma tomato, diced ~35 kcal
• 1 cup of spinach, chopped ~7 kcal
• 4 large eggs ~294 kcal
• 60 grams of soft goat cheese (two servings of the one we used) ~160 kcal
• 1/3 cup of cilantro, chopped ~1 kcal (optional)
• 4 tsp of extra virgin olive oil  ~160 kcal
• 1/4 tsp or to taste of red cayenne pepper ~1 kcal
• 1 tsp or to taste Adobo seasoning (a mix of salt, garlic, cumin, oregano, and black pepper)

Heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. I also put a lid on them between stirs, to soft them up a little quicker. Stir occasionally.

Add in the onions and peppers, cook until the potatoes are tender, about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the potatoes are softening, beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the Adobo seasoning and cayenne pepper.

Add in the tomatoes and spinach. Cook and stir until spinach starts to wilt.

Add the beaten and seasoned eggs. Scramble up the mixture until the eggs are cooked through.

Plate the scramble and top with goat cheese and cilantro. Enjoy!