Baked Eggplant Appetizers

We had a dinner party last night and decided to make one of our favorite dishes, pasta marguerita. Fettuccine noodles are topped with a light, garlic tomato sauce then tossed with fresh parmesan, mozzarella and basil. It's simple and delicious. To go with the pasta, we made a tossed salad with chevre and cracked open some loaves crusty of bread.

For an appetizer, I wanted to keep with the theme, so I choose an eggplant appetizer. I searched on allrecipes.com, found a highly rated recipe and then gussied it up a bit. They turned out great!

Thin slices of peeled eggplant are dipped in egg and then a parmesan, pecan breadcrumb mixture (good flavor and texture btw).

Then it's into the oven for some crisping...

And after they are golden, they get flipped over, topped with a tomato/artichoke mixture and some mozzarella cheese, then it's back into the oven to get bubbly and browned. Yum!

I let them sit for a minute and then transferred them to a serving platter and set them out. They were gone in ten minutes. That's the sign of a good appetizer and a recipe for the files.

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Baked Eggplant Appetizers

1 Large eggplant

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/3 cup ground pecans (opt.)

1/4 cup grated parmesan

2 tomato, chopped (or one small can petite tomatoes, drained well)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning blend

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Fresh mozzarella or grated for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Peel eggplant and cut into thin round slices, about 1/4 inch thick. In a small bowl, whip together egg, water, and a pinch of black pepper and garlic powder. Place the breadcrumbs, ground pecans and parmesan cheese in a separate shallow bowl, stir to combine.

In another both, mix drained tomatoes (or fresh) and artichoke hearts. Stir in 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning. Set aside.

Dip the eggplant slices one at a time into the egg and water mixture, then into the breadcrumbs. One by one, place the coated slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, flip over and top with a layer of the tomato/artichoke mixture and a sprinkling of parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Bake an additional 6-7 minutes until the cheese is melted. If needed, broil 2 to 3 minutes to get browned and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan

I was at the grocery today and I spotted a large purple eggplant sitting so vibrantly on the shelf. I've never bought eggplant before nor cooked with it, so I thought, why not? I asked the produce guy to pick a ripe one out that I could use in a dish for dinner and then I got home and decided to make eggplant parmesan. We also had chicken and mushrooms on hand, so I threw it altogether and came up with this amped up parmesan dish.

It turned out great! My husband and I ate almost the whole pan (we're big eaters though). The eggplant and parmesan are a yummy combination and the chicken and mushrooms add great texture and flavor and make it a bit more hardy. The cheesy herb topping is a must!

Chicken, mushroom and eggplant parmesan

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into 1/4 in slices
• 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon each, oregano and parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
3. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices, chicken, and mushrooms in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle herbs on top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.