Chances are…not so much. But, maybe you just don’t know what to do with this dark purple, anthocyanin-rich plant. Anthocyanins are phytochemicals found in deep purple foods and have shown to protect the fat cells in our brains. Can’t we all benefit from a well-functioning brain?! Since I saw the movie Food Inc. (you should all see it), I want to focus better on choosing my fruits and veggies in their proper season. It just so happens that eggplants are in season from August to October. So, while I was at my farmer’s market last weekend, I picked one up. I didn’t have a plan of how I would use it, but that is part of the fun.
Here is what I came up with…
Eggplant Lasagna
Makes 6-8 servings
Total time: about 90 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
1 medium to large eggplant, sliced very thin and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 jar of a lower sodium marinara sauce (I used Classico because it was on sale at Harmon’s)
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
¾ cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 TBS Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a glass 9X13 pan with non-stick spray. Cook turkey meat through. Place 1/3 of the pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan and spread. Line the pan with thinly sliced eggplant. Season the cottage cheese with the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Spread one-third mixture over the eggplant. Add ¼ cup of the cheese and 1/3 of the ground turkey. Repeat the layering process 2 more times. Bake for 60 minutes or until the eggplant is soft and cooked through.
Nutrition facts (analyzed by nutritiondata.com) per serving:
267 calories; 10 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrate; 5 grams fiber; 28 grams protein
There you have it! A well-balanced meal made with less than 10 ingredients. If you absolutely can’t get the hubby to go for it, try it with zucchini (also in season now.) However, if you just want to keep it classic – go for some whole wheat lasagna noodles. The carbohydrate content will increase and the veggie content will decrease.
Let me know what you think.
*this was an original recipe
WOW! That sounds delicious! I grilled eggplant the other night with olive oil and salt and pepper, but it was way too tough! All the other veggies turned out great, but I have to say we ended up throwing the rest of it away...and I NEVER do that. Thanks for the recipe. Great pic.
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