Baked Eggplant Parmesean

Today ended up being 110 degrees in Santa Barbara!!! It was the wrong day to decide to turn on the oven, but I did anyway, and it was well worth it! This is a quick and healthier version of one of my favorite dishes, eggplant parmesean. It was well received by the family and I will be making this again

Baked Eggplant Parmesean
Recipe from www.wholefoodsmarket.com
Ingredients
1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (about eight)
2 eggs, beaten with a fork
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs (sun-dried tomato or plain...or make it gluten free with g.f. bread crumbs)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 (25-ounce) jar pasta sauce (roasted vegetable or any variety)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Method
Preheat oven with a baking sheet inside to 375°F. Coat eggplant slices with beaten egg, then bread with panko crumbs. Spread oil on hot baking sheet and place eggplant slices on it in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes, flip and bake another 10 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 475°F. In an 8 x 10-inch oven proof dish, layer pasta sauce, then eggplant, and top with cheeses. Repeat, finishing with cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and turns golden in spots, about 15 minutes.

Corn Chowder

We had so much grilled corn left over from Owen's birthday BBQ that I had to find a yummy way to use it all. Our local produce place, Lane Farms, had 6 ears for $2 so I got a little carried away and bought more than enough corn on the cob. Anyway, I decided to make a low fat version of Corn Chowder and it turned out really good!

Corn Chowder
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit
4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, divided
2 cups chicken broth
3 Tb. butter
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 large shallots, chopped
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Blend 2 cups corn and 1 cup of broth in a blender until almost smooth.
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium high heat.
Add next 4 ingredients; saute 5 minutes until shallots are clear.
Add 2 cups corn, 1 cup broth, black beans, cumin, thyme and salt and pepper and pureed corn mixture.
Bring to simmer.
Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Garnish each bowl full with fresh cilantro, or chopped green onions (optional).

Graham Crackers

Every time I am tempted to buy graham crackers I read the ingredients and always put the box back on the shelf. There is so much garbage in those crackers that taste so good. I have looked for recipes for them in the past, but they all seemed a little labor intensive or too long of an ingredient list, until now. Weelicious has done it again! Thanks Catherine : ) These crackers are fun and easy to make, taste good and keep well.

Homemade Graham Crackers
Recipe from www.weelicious.com
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Butter, chilled & cubed
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a food processor or mixer combine the first 6 ingredients.
3. Add cubed and chilled butter to the mix and pulse/mix until it resembles coarse meal.
4. Add honey and water and continue to mix until it all combines.
5. Remove and shape the dough into a flat disk and place between two pieces of parchment paper.
6. Roll dough out until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into crackers or shapes with cookie cutters.*
7. Place cookies on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.
*To Freeze: After step 6, place the cut out cookie shapes on a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. Remove, place in a Ziploc bag, label and freeze for up to 4 months. When ready to bake, follow steps 7-8.
** If you have no Whole Wheat, you can use 1 Cup Oat Bran to 2 Cups AP Flour instead of what the recipe calls for and it works perfect!