Eggplant/Zucchini Bake

This is what happens when an eggplant arrives and you have a lonely zucchini in the fridge begging to be eaten, voila a yummy creation unfolds!

Eggplant/Zucchini Bake

 Pre-heat oven to 400

 Ingredients

1 medium Eggplant – thinly sliced

1 medium Zucchini – thinly sliced

½ cup shredded mozzarella (or thereabouts)

1 or 2 cloves of garlic – sliced or pressed

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

Ground black pepper

 

In a baking dish layer the following:

• Sliced Eggplant
• Sliced Red onion
• Sliced Zucchini
• Garlic
• Mozzarella cheese
• Black pepper

 Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes or so (until done)

 

Serve with sliced avocado on top, delicious! Really, if you've never tried an avocado, you need to. The creamy texture adds something wonderful to this dish.

Chick peas would be wonderful with this as well, could be used to complete it as a vegetarian meal.

This was so quick and easy and packed with flavor and I should have taken a photo, oops, next time, sorry!

 

A few notes of interest:

Avocado: Although high in fat and calories, they are a "good fat", in particular they are a source of monounsaturated fatty acids and have approximately 3 times as much potassium as a banana. A single serving would be roughly 1/2 an avocado.

 

Zucchini - summer squash is 80-95% water content, they are fragile and do not keep like a winter squash would. Low in calories and provide good amounts of carotenes, potassium and vitamin C.

 

Eggplant - part of the nightshade family (with the tomatoes and potatoes) - an excellent source of fibre and a good source of B vitamins. The skin of the eggplant contains potent antioxidants.

 

Cheese - or rather dairy products tend to cause problems for many people, issues range from lactose intolerance to allergy. Although a good source of protein, milk products are often high in fat content. Milk products from goats and sheep tend to have a lower fat content than from cow's. They should be used in moderation. There are many other foods that provide excellent sources of calcium, if that is your concern with decreased dairy products.