Meatless Mondays: Baked Eggplant, Zucchini & Spaghetti Squash

Note: This post is now more than a week late (err...whoops. I'm going to go ahead and play the "I'm still new to blogging and don't know what I'm doing" card here). Still - I figured better late than never... right? :)

I was MIA for a few days while attending some photography classes at the awesome Imaging USA convention in New Orleans. Three days in the Big Easy had me eating my weight in crab cakes, muffulettas (the real deal from Central Grocery), sushi so good I almost wept, and a brisket po' boy so enormous I could have made a whole other sandwich just from the meat that fell out of it. Did I mention the corn and shrimp bisque? It literally changed my life after one creamy, spicy spoonful.

Needless to say, I came home with a little extra "baggage" in addition to all my newfound photography knowledge. Meatless Monday was a welcome sight after my binge-fest in NOLA, so I whipped up one of my favorites: Baked Eggplant, Zucchini and Spaghetti Squash.  

Since I'm still a n00b at this blogging business, I'm not yet in the habit of documenting my recipes as I'm cooking them. It's only as I was sitting down to this vegetarian Italian feast that I even remembered to snap a pic. But, since it's relatively easy (albeit a little time consuming) I think you'll get the idea just from the instructions.

Spaghetti Squash ingredients:

1 Jar of your favorite spaghetti/marinara sauce
1 medium-sized Spaghetti Squash, cooked according to this fantastic tutorial (with step-by-step pictures!)
*Note: This step takes an hour, so do this first and begin prepping zucchini/eggplant about 30 minutes after the squash went into the oven. 

• (A little spaghetti squash background: I discovered this miracle of nature about six months ago. If you've never had it or don't even know what it looks like, check out that tutorial link I posted above. I usually find this squash in the produce section near the potatoes. It's a winter squash, so this is a great time to try it. Even a small squash produces a LOT of 'spaghetti' since nearly the entire thing is edible except for a few pumpkin-like seeds on the inside and the very outer skin. When cooked properly, the flesh comes out looking just like spaghetti strands and has a slightly al-dente crunch and a very mild, sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with marinara sauce. I use this in place of pasta now and I actually prefer it to regular pasta, if you can believe that.  Bonus: It has a mere 42 calories for one cup! Compare that to a carb-laden 220 calories in regular cooked spaghetti. A miracle of nature indeed! Try it. Seriously.)

Eggplant/Zucchini Bake ingredients:

1 Eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds and sweated to remove bitterness
1 cup regular Italian breadcrumbs
1 cup Italian-seasoned Panko breadcrumbs (I like the kind by Progresso)
1 medium zucchini cut into 1/4 inch rounds
2 Eggs (I use one whole egg and one egg white) beaten lightly in a bowl


Instructions:
-Preheat oven to 400
-Mix breadcrumbs together in a bowl and set aside.
-Prepare a large baking sheet with foil and lightly coated with non-stick spray
-Dip each eggplant round in the egg mixture, then dredge in breadcrumbs to coat evenly. Transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with all the eggplant and zucchini slices. *Note: Depending on the size of your eggplant/zucchini, you may need more egg mixture or breadcrumbs.
 -Spray the top of all the slices lightly with non-stick spray.
-Bake for 10 minutes, flip, then continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. (I like to broil them for a minute or so at the end for extra crunch)

Serve eggplant and zucchini slices with spaghetti squash, marinara and a sprinkle of Italian-blend cheese. Enjoy!

Meatless Mondays: Cheesy Zucchini Enchiladas

In my post last week about some of the goals I have for 2012, I outlined my desire to go meatless at least one day a week. I'm no vegetarian/vegan wannabe by any means (I've got a love affair with chicken wings that I could never forsake); I just want to incorporate a diet that includes more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. And so I've decided to hop on the "Meatless Monday" wagon, with the aim to eat try cooking a new meat-free dinner every week. This week's meal was one that I'd made once before, but liked it so much I thought it deserved another round and its own blog post: Skinnytaste's Cheesy Zucchini Enchiladas.

If you've never visited Skinnytaste.com, I highly suggest you do so. The blog's creator, Gina, has an impressive array of delicious and healthy recipes. Her site includes wonderful step-by-step instructions and pictures that will have you drooling on your keyboard.

Ok, back to these enchiladas. First of all, anything with the word "cheesy" in the title has my initial vote by default. But beyond that, I also love Mexican food and I thought the idea of a zucchini-filled enchilada was fascinating. The first time I made them, I cheated and used store-bought enchilada sauce to save on time/effort. This time, I attempted to make my own sauce per the recipe, but ran into a snafu when I realized I only had tomato paste and not tomato sauce. I compensated by adding double the vegetable broth to the sauce mix, which worked pretty well.  I also left out the green onions for a certain picky husband, and served the enchiladas with a side of yellow rice and black beans.

Behold the power of cheese and zucchini:

I'm already researching meat-free dishes for next week's culinary adventure. Let me know if you have any suggestions!