Eggplant Parmesan

Get ready for lots of pictures. As I loaded up my pictures to iPhoto I realized how much has happened in the last week. This happens to me every week when I go to write a new post so I shouldn't seem so surprised every time. The main recipe for this post was inspired by 99 cent eggplant at the Hamilton Farmer's Market and a bunch of tomatoes courtesy of my Tatone :D
You will also notice the lack of measurements. This is due to the fact that I was hungry and impatient, what else is new.

Eggplant Parmesan

1 very large ripe eggplant
salt
oil
breadcrumbs
quick rolled oats
basil
oregano
parsley
garlic powder
salt
pepper
1-2 eggs

Slice the eggplant into thick pieces (3/4 inch?). Layer slices in a colander sprinkling with salt in between layers. Place a heavy item on top and allow to sit for 30 to 60 minutes to draw out any excess water. Wipe slices dry with paper towel. Lightly grease a baking sheet with oil and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix together about 1:1 of breadcrumbs to oats. (I only added oats becuase I ran out of bread crumbs but it turned out quite nice). Sprinkle basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.

You can hardly see the spices in the mix there and I would probably add more next time. I would say 2 tsp each (basil, oregano, parsley) if you use 1/2 breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup oats. Whisk the egg until mixed. Dip each side of eggplant in the egg and dredge through the breadcrumb mixture to coat well. I didn't bother dipping the sides of the slices (I was trying to conserve breading mixture). Place on the greased baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 7-10 minutes on eat side. Watching carefully that they don't burn.

While this was all happening I was also making some sauce. Very similar to the recipe I posted a while back (found here). With these soft delicious eggplant slices you could layer with some sauce and parmesan and bake some more, OR you could make a sandwich.

The sandwich consisted of whole-wheat toast, eggplant slices, fresh tomato sauce, and parmesan cheese. Adding the cheese to the hot eggplant and sauce allows it to melt without toasting the sandwich further (another time saver). I loved this sandwich and loved how the eggplant turned out. The leftover eggplant was good on its own with some sauce and cheese. If you are wondering, on the side there I had some chicken and roasted red peppers cooked in red wine and balsamic vinegar, probably one of my favourite food combinations.

Now as promised, here is a series of pictures from the past week.

Jenna's Birthday celebration


Carrot Spice Birthday Cake (made by me..isn't it pretty?! haha)


Sweet Potato Quesadilla's from the Bean Bar


BFT....Bacon Fig and Tomato Sandwich

I Have Returned!

I got back from Alberta on Wednesday and have been EXHAUSTED ever since. A 7 am flight from Calgary means waking up at 3:30 am in Banff which allowed me only 2 hours of sleep. I have spent the past two days in Waterloo and am back at home now, unpacking, organizing my 970 pictures and video, and trying to get back into my routine.

In case you were itching to find out, the carrot cake disagreement was settled. Jenna agreed that the cake was not delicious, but definitely was not awful. The cake did it's job as mid morning or afternoon snacks.

While I was away I got to try some new restaurants which is always fun. I took some photos of some of the meals and will share them with you today.

The first morning in Calgary we decided to get a hearty breakfast and found a pub on Stephen Ave. which had a great breakfast menu. This sandwich was delicious and had fried egg, bacon, tomato, and greens (can't remember what kind exactly) on a garlicky bun. It was served with a side of onion laced homefries.

This is an egg breakfast sandwich from Wild Flour in Banff. This was such a great bakery that was all organic and also had a lot of vegan options. The sandwich contained egg and cheddar between two slices of freshly baked sourdough bread and then grilled. It was very delicious and perfect to fuel a 4 hour hike at Johnston's canyon later that day.

After visitng Wild Flour for breakfast, Jenna and I knew we wanted to try one of their grilled sandwiches for lunch one day. We decided our shopping day would be a perfect time. I had the veggie and bean baguette grilled sandwich:

Jenna had a grilled chicken pesto sandwich on multigrain bread.

Both were absolutely delicious. The bakery is a little pricey but was a nice treat. For dessert we got a dairy-free brownie which was nice and crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside. I don't have a picture of the chocolaty goodness because, well, photography just wasn't on our mind anymore.

This is a veggie burger that both Jenna and I had at the Rose and Crown in Banff. This place was great! Everything came with two sides which is great when you can't decide between french fries and salad. The rice-based veggie patty was topped with portabello mushrooms and roasted red peppers. I found the burger a bit dry and lacking something, but Jenna loved it! I think a nice slice of pickle would have solved it, haha.

In Banff I also had the best peanut butter and jam sandwich I have ever had. This was at the plains of six glaciers tea house at Lake Louise. After a 5.5 km hike this sandwich definitely hit the spot. This tea house has no electricity or running water, and this bread is baked fresh daily. Supplies are helicoptered in once a year and backpacked or horseback rode in daily. You can appreciate the sheer effort that is put into running this teahouse on a daily basis, and made this sandwich taste even better

Can you tell that I like sandwiches? Some other memorable meals included chicken tacos at Earl's in Calgary, 3 cheese grilled cheese at Rose and Crown in Banff, and a Mediterranean pizza at the Elk in Banff.

I had such a great trip and it was sad to leave my friends, but I am looking forward to doing my own cooking again. I am also excited to finally return to my overnight oats tomorrow morning.

I'll leave you with a sample of the scenery in Banff National Park:

The Ink Pots at Johnston's Canyon