My new favorite recipe

Lately I have been OBSESSED with Eggplant Parmesan. I don't know, the crunchy, cheesy goodness always is so comforting to me. I found a new recipe and I really liked the methodology, because this Eggplant Parm is baked, not fried. Love that!

Baked Eggplant Parmesan (From Whole Foods app, with a few personal twists!)

Cut 1 large eggplant into 8 rounds. I place them in a colander and salt the pieces. The salt draws out moisture in the eggplant, giving you a crispier final product. After about 30 minutes (last night, they were in the colander for a few hours, and it didn't hurt) you can pat the eggplants dry.

Preheat oven to 375 and place a baking sheet inside. I like the dip the eggplants in flour (so the egg has something to stick to), then in beaten eggs, and then in a mix of Panko breadcrumbs (to make it extra crispy) and Italian style breadcrumbs (for some flavor). When the oven is preheated, spread about 2 T of olive oil on your baking sheet. When I do it, the oil doesn't even completely coat the baking sheet. Place coated eggplant on the baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Flip and bake for another 10 minutes.

Increase oven temp to 475. In a baking dish, layer pasta sauce, then eggplant, and top with cheeses (I use a mixture of 1/4 c. Parmesan and 1/2 c. skim-milk mozzarella). When I did it last night, I had 4 stacks of 2 eggplant rounds. The bottom one was not as crisp as the top, so I think next time I will use a larger dish and try to get them in a single layer. You also do not need much pasta sauce; I had about a third of a jar leftover from something else and half a can of crushed tomatoes. I combined them on the stove and added some fresh basil before putting the sauce in my dish. Bake until the cheese melts and is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Voila!

Poor Mike. The boy loves meat. I always feel bad when I've got something vegetarian planned for dinner, but I like to serve the eggplant on a bed of cheesy polenta, and that TOTALLY makes up for the lack of meat (his words, not mine).

Cheesy Polenta (this makes 2 HUGE fat-kid servings...or probably 4 smaller servings. :) We went the fat-kid route last night, and I felt like my stomach would burst.)

Bring 2 cups water, 2/3 c. milk, and 1/3 c. half-half (or cream, or regular milk...I like to add the cream because it creates a creamier texture and richer taste) and a sprinkle of salt to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and whisk in 1 c. Polenta and stir occasionally until the Polenta is done (my package says 30 minutes, but it never takes me that long. It is done when it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan). Before serving, stir in 2 T butter and 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese. YUM. I could sleep on a bed of that stuff.