recipe: eggplant parm

taken from: Allrecipes.com 

changes: 
- followed recommendations to "sweat" the eggplant before baking it (added in instructions below)
- used an Italian panko breadcrumb instead of regular breadcrumbs (which i will not use moving forward for breading anything)
- scaled down to 5 servings (from 10. recipe for 5 serving posted below)
- baked for 7 minutes per side at 425 F degrees (vs 5 minutes per @ 350. added in instructions below)

photo taken from allrecipes.com

ingredients list:
- 1 & 1/2 eggplants, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch thickness)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 3 cups spaghetti sauce, divided 
- 1/2 (16 oz) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 tsp dried basil

to make:
sweat the 1/4" slices by sprinkling with sea salt and letting them sit for 30 minutes (i let mine sit in colanders so both sides can breathe). rinse, and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. 

preheat oven to 425 F degrees. 

dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. place in a single layer on a baking sheet. bake in preheated oven for 7 minutes per side.  

decrease oven temp to 350 F degrees.

recipe: eggplant bacon

taken from: Minimalist Baker

changes: substituted soy sauce for tamari, left out liquid smoke, added smoked bacon sea salt (original recipe posted below)

ingredients list:
- half of 1 medium eggplant
- 2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 1 & 1/2 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch sea salt
- pinch garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper, plus more for topping

to make:
preheat oven to 225 degrees F. line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

cut the 1/2 eggplant in half lengthwise once more so you have two long, skinny pieces. use a sharp knife or mandolin to slice into very thin strips (resembling the size/shape or bacon). they should be about 1/8 inch. set aside.