Did you get a Bountiful Basket this weekend? Aren't the yellow and purple carrots beautiful?! I'm not sure how I'm going to do those justice just yet. If someone has an idea, please leave a comment.
One of the things I love about getting a Basket each week are the surprise fruits and veggies. This week's basket had two beautiful Italian Eggplants, I used them for one of my favorite recipes, Baked Eggplant Chips. These chips are super simple and frugal  to make and have many possible variations.
Start by washing and slicing your eggplant, a little less than 1/4 inch works best. I've tried using a mandolin for this and it really doesn't work very well. I prefer to use my good ole' knife. Take the time to get your slices even and thin.
Italian Breading Recipe: For this batch, I used about 3/4 Cup of Panko bread crumbs, a few sprigs of Italian Parsley, Italian Seasoning, salt & pepper to taste. Whirl that in the food processor until the Panko is the size of breadcrumbs. Then add a few Tablespoons of Sesame Seeds and mix it all together. I've also added Parmesan cheese in the mix. It's delicious that way. If you'd like you can just use the prepackaged Italian Bread Crumb mix. Whatever you have on hand works.
Press your eggplant in to the bread mixture and lay out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Give them a gentle spray with Olive Oil (Olive Oil Pam works great). Bake at 400° for 7 minutes. Remove them from oven and flip them over and spray the other side. Return to oven, turning your pan the other direction, to insure even cooking. Continue to bake for about 7-10 minutes more. Keep a close eye on them, they go from toasted to burnt pretty quickly.
Serve up with your favorite dip or enjoy them plain. This recipe also works well with Zucchini.
Enjoy!
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