Eggplant Lasagna

   Found this recipe while searching Pinterest -- looks so yummy! 

 http://www.carolinagirlcooks.com/eggplant-lasagna/

 

 

Someone asked me not long ago what type of food I like to cook best.  The southerner in me should probably say something like “fried chicken, of course!” but my absolute favorite is probably Italian.  I’m a pasta, cheese and sauce fanatic and there are about a million different things you can do with all three of those and not eat the same thing twice for a while.  Who doesn’t love a big ole pan of lasagna?!  This is missing a few of the standard elements of traditional lasagna, but it’s definitely not lacking in taste.  I replaced the noodles with slices of grilled eggplant and since ya’ll know I’m not much of a meat eater these days, I kept the veggieness going with spinach and mushrooms.  You could always add in other veggies as well to really step it up, but I went pretty basic.  This was absolutely delicious!  And by that I mean I ate it for lunch and dinner until the whole pan was gone.  This is another great dish to make, split and freeze the other half for later.

Enjoy!

Eggplant Lasagna

serves 12

2 large eggplants

1 box of frozen spinach

1 10 oz package of fresh sliced mushrooms

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

9 slices of swiss cheese (low fat is fine, it’s what I use)

9 slices of provolone cheese

1 1/2 cups of part skim mozzarella

1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1 15 oz container of part skim ricotta cheese

1 cup of cottage cheese, low fat

2 eggs

2 tsp of italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Thaw the spinach and squeeze most of the liquid out.  In a medium saute pan, heat up a couple teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Brown the mushrooms, remove to a bowl and set aside.  Saute the chopped onion until softened.  Add the garlic and about 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/8 tsp of pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Add the mushrooms and spinach and allow the spinach to get hot.  Set this mixture aside.

Brush a grill pan with with olive oil and heat to medium high.  Slice the eggplant longways.  Grill each slice for a minute or two on each side.

In another bowl, combine the ricotta, cottage cheese, eggs, Italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper together.

In a 9×13 baking dish, spread a little sauce on the bottom.  Line the bottom with eggplant slices, top with a little of the ricotta mixture, add a veggie layer, sauce layer and then swiss, provolone and mozzarella.  Repeat until all ingredients are used ending with a sauce layer.  Sprinkle with mozzarella and fresh parmesan.

Bake at 375 for about 30-45 minutes until the cheese is gold and bubbly.

Sourdough Bread

 

Ingredients

1 cup Sourdough Starter (see below)

5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 pac kage active dry yeast

1 1/2cups water

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

 

Directions

1. Measure Sourdough Starter; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Combine 2-1/2 cups of the flour and the yeast; set aside. Heat and stir water, sugar, butter, and salt just until warm (120 degree F to 130 degree F) and butter almost melts. Add water mixture to dry mixture. Add Sourdough Starter. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.
2. Combine 2-1/2 cups of the remaining flour and the baking soda. Add to yeast mixture. Stir until combined. Stir in as much remaining flour as you can.
3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough (6 to 8 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl; turn once. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in size (for 45 to 60 minutes).
4. Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Lightly grease baking sheet.
5. Shape by gently pulling each portion into a ball, tucking edges beneath. Place on prepared baking sheet. Flatten each ball slightly to 6 inches in diameter. Using a sharp knife, make crisscross slashes across tops of loaves. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (about 30 minutes).
6. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when you tap the top. (If necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning.) Immediately remove bread from baking sheet. Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves (24 to 36 servings).

 

Sourdough Starter

Ingredients

1 package of active dry yeast                                    

2 1/2 cups of warm water                                    

2 cups of all-purpose flour                                    

1 tablespoon of sugar or honey                                    

100% cotton cheesecloth                                    

 

Directions

1. In mixing bowl dissolve 1 package active dry yeast in 1/2 cup warm water (105 degree F to 115 degree F). Stir in 2 cups warm water (105 degree F to 115 degree F), 2 cups all-purpose flour, and 1 tablespoon sugar or honey. Beat until smooth. Cover with 100 percent cotton cheesecloth. Let stand in at room temperature (75 degree F to 85 degree F) for 5 to 10 days or until mixture has a fermented aroma and vigorous bubbling stops, stirring 2 or 3 times a day. (Fermentation time depends on room temperature; a warmer room will hasten the fermentation process.)

 

This recipe comes from the Better Homes & Garden Magazine