Hello ZestyCookers!  I’m Lainie from Deliciously Fit, and I am thrilled to be doing a guest post for Zesty while he’s away!  I had a hard time deciding what to post about because, well, let’s face it:  all of Zesty’s recipes are AMAZING and pretty much impossible to compete with!  After much thought, I finally decided on eggplant parmesan because it’s an easy, tasty and impressive dish that just about anyone can whip up.

By the looks of that picture, you can tell this recipe is rich and decadent…what you can’t tell is that it makes 8 huge servings for under 300 calories each!  I paired this recipe with a simple salad, and even my meat-obsessed husband thought he had died and gone to heaven…

Ingredients

• 2  (1-pound) eggplants
• 1/4  cup  water
• 3  egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4  cups  Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4  cup  grated Parmesan cheese
• Vegetable cooking spray
• 2.5  cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
• 1 jar of your favorite pasta/marinara sauce

Directions

1. Slice eggplant crosswise into 1/4-inch slices



2. Place eggplant slices in a large bowl and add water to cover.  Let stand 30 minutes.



3. Drain well, and blot eggplant dry with paper towels.
4. Combine 1/4 cup water and egg whites in a shallow bowl.
5. Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese; stir well.
6. Dip eggplant in the egg white mixture, and then dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture.
7. Place the eggplant on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Broil 5 minutes on each side (or until browned).



8. Spread marinara sauce in the bottom of a 13X9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
9. Arrange eggplant over sauce; top with mozzarella and cheddar cheese.



10. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes (or until bubbly).  Serves 8.

Next time you’re tempted to go out for Italian, try making this dish at home instead!  The average restaurant dishes up eggplant parmesan with a calorie count of 1270 and 69 grams of fat!  Ouch!  This version of the Italian staple clocks in at under 300 calories and 8.5 grams of fat – that’s a savings of almost 1000 calories!

(recipe adapted from www.cookinglight.com)

Thanks Lainie (Deliciously Fit) for a great post!  Have a great weekend and I will see you on Monday with a huge house update.  Stay tuned.

Take care

zesty