Updated: Sep 8, 2021
It was a beautiful day here on Long Island yesterday; the temperature reached 70 degrees. I had the windows wide open for fresh air. On November 7th!
I love to cook, but you have to do more in the kitchen than just cook. The other day, I did the floors and then the next two days, the cabinets. I remember the days when I was able to do all that in a few hours. It now takes three days with a lot of resting in between.
I love Murphy oil for the wood cabinets and floors. The water in the mop bucket isn't dirty, it's fresh water with Murphy oil. It has a wonderful smell (luckily for me it's not harsh and not a chemical I have problems with due to asthma/allergies. Bleach and other chemicals can send me to the ER.
My new aprons and hair net arrived. I get so excited when I find packages on the doorstep.
I'm wearing one of the aprons above and the new hair net. It's important to keep my hair contained, I lose a lot due to my Hashimotos disease.
My pups loved my new things and showed their appreciation. They are in doggie heaven when I cook. They lay right outside the gate and sniff the air through the bars.
So, the kitchen was clean, I was adorned, the only thing left to do was go on a cooking spree! That's just what I did. I made roasted Brussels sprouts and spaghetti squash. It was packed up and put in the fridge to be used for or with various meals. I froze one container of the Brussels sprouts. See why I don't eat meat.
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Finally, the main event. Eggplant! I made Cheesy Eggplant or, maybe it should be called Rollatini, only it wasn't rolled, it was more like a Lasagna. Well, whatever you want to call it, it was DELICIOUS.
My husband and parents loved it as did I. Dad enjoyed his with his glass of wine. He enjoys his wine with everything, even English Muffin Pizzas. No, he's not a wino, he's Italian.
Recipe:
Wash, peel and slice your eggplant. (see video above)
I placed the slices in salted water to soak while I was gathering and preparing for the next step.
Set up your gluten free flour, milk - I can't use eggs, but you can if you choose to - and gluten free breadcrumbs. (see video for how to prepare eggplant) Check out this post on where I buy specialty items. See Important links.
Fry your breaded eggplant until golden brown on both sides. (see video) (You can use vegetable oil. I can't, due to allergies, so I use olive oil) I had the windows open, the ceiling fan on, and the fan on the stove going and the smoke detector still went off. This causes chaos. All three dogs lose their minds. One dog goes into such hysterics, she tries to jump though a closed window. Fun times. A little trick: Put a shower cap over the smoke detector. It won't go off. JUST REMEMBER TO TAKE IT OFF WHEN DONE.
Now it's time to put together your eggplant. Place some sauce on the bottom of your dish - for sauce recipe, click green link. Layer like you would a lasagna. Eggplant, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, repeat. (see video)
Cover with tinfoil and place in a 350 degree preheated oven - spray tinfoil with cooking spray so the cheese doesn't stick - I used a little oil I brushed on since I can't use cooking spray due to my allergies.
Cook about 30 to 40 minutes. until cheese melts. Uncover and cook another 10 minutes. When the cheese is bubbly and the sauce sizzling and bubbling, it's done. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Serve and enjoy.
Ingredients:
Eggplant
Olive oil (vegetable oil if you can use it)
Gluten free flour
Gluten free breadcrumbs
Milk
Water
Salt
Sauce (I used homemade)
Mozzarella
Ricotta
Parmesan