What's Cookin'? Part Three

As I said in my first "What's Cookin'?" post, the vegetables are just TOO GOOD right now, so I'm having fun every night making dinner.

Tonight I combined a couple of past recipes (Oven Fried Chicken and the pesto from my Polenta Pizza) and came up with something new.

OVEN FRIED EGGPLANT with Pesto Pasta
Serves 2


INGREDIENTS

1 large eggplant

1 large egg
1/4 c non-fat or almond milk
1/3 c finely chopped pecans
1/4 c cornmeal (I used polenta)
1/4 c whole wheat, oat or gluten-free flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion or garlic powder... or both
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tb butter, slivered into thin slices
Favorite pasta
(see ingredients and directions below for pesto)

DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 425 with the rack in the center. Spray a 9 x 13 inch deep baking dish with Pam cooking spray.

Start the water boiling for the pasta.

Slice the eggplant into half-inch thick slices.

In a wide bowl whisk the eggs and milk. In another shallow bowl or pie tin, stir together the pecans, cornmeal, flour, and spices.

Dip the eggplant slices one at a time into the egg wash, then dredge each one in the pecan mixture.

Place the coated eggplant slices in the baking dish. Dot each coated piece with a little butter. Bake until golden brown -- approximately 20-25 minutes. Cook the pasta according to directions.

FRESH PESTO ~ a winner!

2 cups basil packed (can use 1 cup arugula or chard instead -- take some risks. Trust me it tastes great)
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tb walnuts or pine nuts
1/4 c grated parmesan
3 cloves minced garlic

Put ingredients in a small food processor, 1/3 of ingredients at a time. Pulse until smooth, add more ingredients.

Pull the eggplant slices out of the oven when done, drain the pasta, stir in some pesto, and put it on your plate for a very satisfying meal.