A NY Foodgasm Quickie: Roasted Garlic Eggplant

Take regular roasted eggplant to the next level with the magic of garlic. This eggplant can stand alone as a side, main part of the dish or can be used on a panini.

So here is something you should know about me, I leap without looking most of the time. Like I would be making shit up as I went along in the kitchen, while that is sometimes fun I realize I really don't know enough about technique to be free-ballin' in the kitchen. So I used to just figure out temperatures on gut instinct. Well now-a-days people actually make my recipes so I have figured out to google proper technique.

When doing such research for roasting vegetables in the best way possible, I stumbled across a Mario Batali recipe for eggplant roasted with garlic. Of course I had a spark and NEEDED to try it STAT! Mario's recipe has a lot more oil, so I dialed it down a bit for you guys! I wanted all that magical garlic FLAVA without a bajillion grams of fat. At least in this case it is good fat from EVOO.

What you need

1 large eggplant, sliced vertically
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper

How to make it

1- Preheat oven to 450º
2- Mix together olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
3- Brush on both sides of eggplant.
4- Place on foil lined baking pan.
5- Roast for 10 minutes on each side.

Roasted Vegetable Polenta Lasagna

A creative vegetarian twist on lasagna with freshly roasted eggplant and a simple homemade marinara.

If you follow me on Facebook you will know I asked what you guys wanted for a recipe this week and this dish won! Roasted Vegetable Polenta Lasagna, yeah it is as awesome as it sounds. You got your basic food groups: grains, veggies and cheeeeeeese! What would lasagna be without cheese? Why can't I quit you cheese?

THIS is why I run! Cheese and beer!

Eggplant Parmesan "Meat"balls

So my gratuitous v-day post was last week, but I made this recipe around the same time and all I could say is "Damn these are good" every single time I ate one. I never posted my recipe for veggie infused meatballs, but this is a staple to me. The perfect transformation of a food I love so very much to something soooo much healthier. The secret is that I add lots of hidden veggies to my meatballs. Seriously, no one will know since they a chopped up in the food processor. So I though why the hell not add the meat at all.... and use eggplant!! Since you are going to cover it in marinara anyways later on, why not add a little fresh mozzarella cheese over top. So this magical concoction was born!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

This has EVERYTHING you love about Eggplant Parmesan, even the breading, in a crispy little ball dripping in marinara and melted mozzarella cheese. They are NOT fried, they're baked! So you are losing LOTS of calories and fat and keeping ALL the flavor. These are sooooo good, I am making them twice and I almost NEVER make the same thing twice! Even better: they are not nearly as time consuming as Eggplant Parmesan.

So I don't have kids yet. But you know, I think that kids would eat these guys up! If you have vegetarian friends coming over- you can make this and both eat meatless, healthier and be completely satisfied. Actually this is one dish that makes me think, maybe I can be vegetarian someday. It is that good. Another great thing is you can make this as an appetizer or serve these over pasta as an entree.

Totally Roasted Eggplant Rollatini

Why is this a Foodgasm?

You may remember, not too long ago, that I made Totally Roasted Eggplant Parmesan. Well I had one more large eggplant from the garden, a straggler. So what do you think I did? I took this classic to the very next level by roasting the eggplant and making Eggplant Rollatini! That would mean that I roasted some gorgeous eggplant spooned in a cheesy magical mixture rolled it up and covered them is some lovely roasted tomatoes.

This is a beautiful and rustic looking Italian dish. It looks more rustic and beautiful than the fried version. So you not only get a prettier plate, but you are saying bye-bye to all the calories and fat involved in frying!

Win-win guys- total win win. That is what I am all about!

Totally Roasted Eggplant Parmesan

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Once again I am focusing on the simple pleasures in life. You know, those comfort classics that make you feel happy and all snuggley when you had a bad day? We all gravitate to them for several reasons. For me I am half Italian, so this sort of food was always around since my childhood. Eggplant Parmesan makes me think of this simpler time. That time where there was no mortgage or bills and someone else worried about all the day to day needs of my life. It is also incredibly delicious with that perfect balance of acidic from the marinara and the creamy and salty base of the cheese, especially the fresh mozzarella.

Comfort your taste buds without the guilt of breaded fried eggplant cutlets. I just sliced, salted and roasted my eggplant and it had so much rich flavor! Why cover it up with breading? Why add all the fat of frying when you can bring out the natural sweetness of eggplant!

The eggplant and everything in this recipe was actually locally grown and roasted in the oven. See the picture from my farmer's market post, those were some big eggplants for a buck! From the garlic to the eggplant everything was roasted to bring out the natural sugars present in everything- aka making magic happen in your mouth!