Hello Everyone,

Here's another great Italian favorite, at least around my house.

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

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Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 roasted red peppers, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 2 (28-ounce) cans plum tomatoes and their juices, crushed with your hands
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Honey, to taste

Eggplant:

• 5 cups fresh dried breadcrumbs (made from dried day-old bread)
• Butter for greasing the dish
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 to 3 medium eggplants (about 2 1/4-pounds), cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices (need about 18 slices)
• All-purpose flour for dredging
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce
• 12 ounces grated mozzarella (not fresh), plus1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 12 ounces grated fontina
• 3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• Fresh basil leaves, torn

For the Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce:

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Directions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the red peppers and cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until smooth. Return the mixture back to the pot, add the parsley, basil and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes longer and season with honey, if needed.

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For the Eggplant:

To dry out the bread crumbs:

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Preheat the oven to 300 degree F.

Evenly spread the bread crumbs on a large baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes, turn the oven off and let the bread crumbs sit in the oven for 30 minutes or until just dry.

Raise the temperature of the oven up to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 15 by 10 by 2-inch baking dish and set aside.

Place the bread crumbs into a large shallow bowl. Add the herbs 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. In another medium shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and 2 tablespoons of water together.

Season each eggplant slice on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, tapping off excess, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the bread crumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the egg plant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Heat 1/2-inch of oil in 2 large straight-sided saute pans over medium heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 385 degrees F. Working in small batches, fry a few of the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Cover the bottom of the prepared baking dish with some of the tomato sauce and arrange 1/2 of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with some of the sauce, grated mozzarella, fontina, Romano cheese and some of the basil. Repeat to make 3 layers ending with the sauce. Top with the fresh mozzarella and remaining Romano and bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8-12.

Have A Marvelous Monday,

Phil

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Hello Friends,

Today's recipe is a simple, flavorful dish, best served at room temperature. This dish will refrigerate well, and is just as yummy the next day for lunch as a cold pasta salad. Hot or cold, the Parmesan and feta flavors come through and enhance this dish.

Tomato Basil Pasta

Ingredients

• 10 ounces dry fusilli/spiral pasta
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 6 leaves fresh basil, torn
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fusilli pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Combine olive oil, garlic, onion, tomatoes and basil; let sit at room temperature.
3. Toss warm pasta with Parmesan and feta. Stir in tomato mixture and sprinkle on salt and pepper. You can add more Parmesan if desired. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Have A Terrific Thursday,

Phil

Hello Friend,

Here's a little something from my Weight Watchers files that you might want to try. We use it quite often around my house.

Preparation

Hope you'll try this soon and that you enjoy it as much as we do.

Have A Terrific Tuesday,

Phil

Hi Phil,

Thanks for the info on the Miracle noodles. This is a wonderful thing for people who love pasta, (I am one of them) to enjoy but are good for you too.
Gee here you are again and I keep adding these recipes to my make list. Well when my pc got a new driver, I lose everything, so now I will start over.

Hello Again Myrna,

Good to see you again. As for the information on the Miracle Noodles, you're very welcome.

I've been ordering these for a couple of years now and I love them. I love both Pasta and Rice, either White or Brown, but as a Diabetic, these foods must be limited in my diet. With Miracle Noodles I can enjoy both and still keep both my Diabetes and my Weight under control. The answer to this questions seems to lie in understanding the role of fiber in our diets. The noodle is made mainly of soluble fiber and soluble fiber acts to slow digestion. By slowing the digestive process, there is a slower absorption of glucose which then requires a slower release of insulin from the pancreas which aids in the normalization of blood glucose after eating a meal.

It seems that since the soluble fiber found in the Miracle Noodle slows digestion, eating the noodles prolongs the sensation of fullness. Also, one absorbs more nutrients in the foods eaten along with The Miracle Noodle due to the slowing of digestion. This makes the Noodles excellent for use in most weight loss plans. Just by replacing one meal per day with these noodles, you may significantly raise your needed fiber intake and dramatically lower your total calorie intake. In combination with raising your metabolic rate with moderate exercise, you may have just found the tasty weight loss plan you have been looking for.

Even though, due to my Diabetes, my feet and legs will not allow me to exercise properly, using these noodles as part of an 1,800 calories daily diet has helped me to lose 35 pounds since March of this year.

Once again, thanks for stopping by and thanks for being such a good Friend.

Have A Wonderful Week,

Phil