Eggplant Stacks
When I was a vegetarian, eggplant was a staple in my diet. Now a days I’m trying to get back to a plant based diet. Besides the ethical implications, I find most of the time red meat hurts my stomach. I also just watched a documentary about chicken farming, the new Supersize me 2: Holy Chicken documentary that showed even when trying to make humane choices, such as buying free range meat, both the animals and the farmers in the farming industry are treated horribly. I understand that there is dairy in this recipe, which comes with its own evils, but one step at a time.
I whole heartily believe that the world won’t change with a few people living perfect strict ethical/vegan lifestyles. But the world will change if many people making a few ethical choices that fit their lifestyle when they are able to.
I got this recipe from food blogger/author Gina Homolka from Skinnytaste and thought I’d give it a go. It was good. Would I consider it an outstandingly amazing recipe that will become a staple in my house? No. However, it was good and I would make it again. I think this recipe would be perfect for when we have an abundance of basil and eggplant from our summer garden that we don’t know what to do with. I also learned from making these that I absolutely love plain baked eggplant dics with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Ingredients:
2 large eggplants
himalayan salt
pepper
1 cup part-skim ricotta
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pecorino cheese
3 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 cup Marinara sauce
baby spinach leaves
Directions: preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spray two baking sheets with olive oil. Next time I make this, I would also line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice each eggplant into 1/2 inch dics. Some of the discs I cute were too thin, so if you are questioning it-I would lean towards cutting thicker slices. Arrange eggplants on baking sheet and spray each side with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake approximately 10 mins on each side or until each side is golden brown. While eggplant is baking, combine ricotta, mozzarella, pecorino and chopped basil. When the eggplant is done cooking, leave the 8 largest eggplant discs on the baking sheet,
Make the stacks by by ladling 1 tablespoon of marinara on each eggplant slice, followed by 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture and a few spinach leaves on top. Repeat layers. Put the stacks back into the oven and bake until cheese is melted, approximately 10 minutes.
