Tuesday Recipe

I woke up with a sore throat. That's not true....I went to bed with a sore throat and this morning, it was still there.

If I'm going to get sick i need to hurry up and get it over with. I travel next Monday for 10 days and would rather be sick now rather than during.

Anyways....I had forgotten about a few things i had made recently, most importantly being Eggplant Bake. Now, I have never liked eggplant. I try to avoid it. But I went to a friend's house for dinner a few months ago, and this was served. At first, I was like "oh eggplant.....how nice...." But it seriously rocks my world and you can't even tell there is eggplant in it!!! I would've never known unless my friend told me.

So here's the recipe:

Eggplant Bake

(this is for an 8X8, just double if making a 9X13)

1 Medium/large Zucchini (thinly sliced)
2 red sweet peppers (coarsely chopped)
*The original recipe called for 1 pepper and that's what I put, but next time I will put 2
1/2 onion (coarsely chopped)
2 Medium eggplant (coarsely chopped)
*You can't really add too much eggplant, it cooks down A LOT
1 clove garlic (minced)
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
*don't worry about the mayo, Daniel HATES it and we couldn't taste it at all
2 ozs Pecorino/Romano Cheese (about 1/2 cup)
* I used Parmesan/Romano bc that's what I had and really beggars can't be choosers
4 oz shredded mozzarella (about 1 cup)
12 crushed Ritz crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 C). Grease 8X8 pan.

In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Then add zucchini, sweet pepper, eggplant, onion, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 10-15 minutes on medium-high until veggies are tender: stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in large bowl whisk eggs and mayonnaise together. Then stir in Pecorinco/Romano cheese and half of the mozzarella. Add the cooked vegetables, and stir to combine.Spread in pan and top with remaining mozzarella and cracker crumbs.

Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving (we were hungry so we just went for it!)

Seriously this is my new favorite recipe!!! It's great to serve for Meatless Monday, vegetarians, or anyone who enjoys good food!! I loved how easy it was to make and that there were so many veggies!!! You could easily add less/more of what your favorite veggie is, but I loved the balance the way it was.

I cannot put into words how good this is!!! Try it, you'll love it!!!

And random, but I also made chicken parm last week. yum!!!!

(this pic makes it look so gross, but it is yumm! and no, i'm not afraid of cheese!)

i'm hoping to embrace the eggplant and try eggplant parm sometime soon. We'll see.....

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday!!

love

Laura