I wanted to treat my husband for being so supportive and staying on track with out clean eating. Unfortunately, like with any addiction, this snowballed into a lot of unhealthy choices and we had to really strive to get back on track. I tried to be good by baking a paleo version of one of my favorite dishes. I will admit I could not stave off that delicious treat. This paleo version is delicious, but for a little more flavor and non-paleo fans- I would add the ricotta cheese mixture (16 oz ricotta cheese, 1 egg, and 1/2 chopped fresh Italian herbs) to it. Note: Eggplant will not cook long enough on its own so do NOT skip the sauteeing/roasting step- it will give you the consistency you want to really make this a delicious treat.
Ingredients:
1 whole eggplant sliced longways
1 tbl olive/avocado/coconut oil (use whichever you want-I went with avocado)
2 cups Italian meat mixture (see previous post)
1/2 cup onion sliced
2 cups spinach
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup carrots minced (I pureed in food processor)
1.5 cups fresh basil
2 tbl balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Saute or roast (I prefer roasting in 425 degree oven for 10 minutes) eggplant to get it slightly soften. In greased pan, add 1/2 cup Italian meat mixture and spread across bottom. Layer eggplant on top, then spinach, onions, mushrooms, carrots, and basil sprinkle balsamic over. Add eggplant and cover with remaining meat mixture. Bake in oven covered at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer. If adding the cheese and or ricotta add prior to the eggplant top and sprinkle some mozzarella on top of dish. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 whole eggplant sliced longways
1 tbl olive/avocado/coconut oil (use whichever you want-I went with avocado)
2 cups Italian meat mixture (see previous post)
1/2 cup onion sliced
2 cups spinach
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup carrots minced (I pureed in food processor)
1.5 cups fresh basil
2 tbl balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Saute or roast (I prefer roasting in 425 degree oven for 10 minutes) eggplant to get it slightly soften. In greased pan, add 1/2 cup Italian meat mixture and spread across bottom. Layer eggplant on top, then spinach, onions, mushrooms, carrots, and basil sprinkle balsamic over. Add eggplant and cover with remaining meat mixture. Bake in oven covered at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer. If adding the cheese and or ricotta add prior to the eggplant top and sprinkle some mozzarella on top of dish. Enjoy!