Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan, photographed by Julianne Gentile.

This was my first attempt to make this. Somehow, I managed to avoid trying eggplant, despite being married to a man who is Greek and Italian. Anyway, I tried a frozen version from the Vegan section of the grocery store and loved it so much, that I had to make it from scratch. Good stuff! Even the kids were willing to try it. My son said it was good and my daughter said it was "ok" (that translates to, "Yuck, but I don't want to hurt Mom's feelings").

Easy Eggplant Parmesan

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Medium eggplant (aubergine)
1 large egg, beaten (or equivalent egg replacement)
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
1/2 cup grated parmesan reggiano cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
minced garlic, minced onion, salt, and pepper to taste.

This is easiest if you use a large, deep skillet that can go from stovetop to oven.

Heat olive oil in skillet - not too hot, olive oil has a low smoking point.
Peel the eggplant and cut into slices around 1/2 inch thick.
Dip the slices in egg and breadcrumbs and fry in the skillet till brown on each side.
Season to taste.
Pour your favorite sauce over the top.
Sprinkle parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top.
Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is warm.

Replace the egg with a substitute like Ener-G, and the cheese with a Vegan cheese substitute, and this is a really tasty vegan dish.

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Un-Meatloaf

Un-Meatloaf, photographed by Julianne Gentile.

I used my favorite meatloaf recipe and replaced the meat to make this veggie loaf. The beans are Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans. Good stuff!

2 packages Yves Veggie Ground Round
1-1/2 cups italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup ketchup
1 envelope dry soup mix*

Preheat oven to 350°.
In large bowl, combine all ingredients.
Shape into meatloaf pan.
Bake 30 minutes or until firm. Makes about 8 servings.
* onion mushroom and garlic mushroom are good choices.

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White Pizza

White Pizza, photographed by Julianne Gentile.

My son and I made this yummy white pizza, and the salad had the sweetest heirloom tomatoes. It was heavenly!

This was very simple to make. We used a Boboli ready-made pizza crust, and made a simple alfredo sauce with butter, garlic, and parmasan reggiano cheese. Then we spread that on the crust, sprinkled some shredded mozzarella on top, and voila!

This is a fun thing to do with the kids. Grab a few ready-made crusts, or get some dough from the local pizza shop, and have fun experimenting with different sauces and toppings.

I like to add crimini mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, and chopped onions to mine. The kids generally prefer just cheese.

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