Zucchini and Eggplant "Lasagna"

This is one of my husband's favorites and mine too! Icombined and adapted a few low-carb veggie lasagna recipes to make this one... it is healthy but tastes so delicious!!! I was worried Charlie wouldn't like it because it is meatless, but he says it tops Edo's Squid, one of his favorite Italian restaurants here in Richmond... now THAT is a compliment!

Zucchini and Eggplant "Lasagna"

(Makes 6-8 servings)

Ingredients

1 or 2 large zucchini, cut into round slices about 5/8 inch thick

1 or 2 eggplant(s), sliced into 1/4-inch rounds with the skin still on

1 jar of your favorite tomato-basil pasta sauce (about 4 cups)

1 ½ cups low-fat cottage cheese

3 eggs

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (plus a little more for sprinkling on top)

3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

8 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (use about 3 cups of any type of white cheese that melts well)

2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

Brush sliced eggplant and zucchini with olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper, and sauté in a pan over medium-high heat until veggies are mostly cooked – a few minutes on each side, until they start to brown a little. Set aside Preheat oven to 400F. Beat eggs in small bowl, then stir in cottage cheese.

Spray heavy ceramic or glass lasagna dish with non-stick spray or olive oil. Then make a layer of “lasagna” slices with the zucchini and eggplant, a layer with 2 cups of sauce, a layer with half the cottage cheese-egg mixture, a layer of sprinkled fresh chopped basil, and a layer of about 1 ½ cups cheese. Top with second layer of sauteed “lasagna” slices (veggies), sauce, cottage cheese-egg mixture, basil, and remaining cheese. (Add as many layers as you want – until the dish is full, or you run out of food…)

Bake about 45 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned on top and mixture is slightly bubbling. Cover the top with foil if you don't want the top quite so brown. Let sit at least 10 minutes before cutting, then cut into pieces and serve hot.

Byrd House Market and Calabacitas!

One of my new favorite things in Richmond is the Byrd House Market, the farmers' market at the William Byrd Community House in Oregon Hill. Charlie and I have been twice now -- it is awesome!! We have been eating really healthy foods and have been trying hard to eat fresh and organic. After our trip to France where a major highlight was all of the wonderful open air markets, we were psyched to discover this Tuesday night farmers' market less than 5 minutes from out apartment.

So far we have tried fresh strawberries, cucumbers, a variety of squash and zucchini, mixed greens, and swiss chard. Everything has been fabulous!! We also bought 2 tomato plants and 2 pepper plants which are thriving in our garden. Next week we want to try some eggplant!

I recently discovered an awesome healthy eating blog -- Kalyn's Kitchen -- which has some wonderful recipes. We used squash and zucchini from the farmers; market this week to make this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen. It is definitely a new favorite!!!


Easy Calabacitas or Squash with Onions, Chiles, and Cheese

4 medium zucchini or yellow squash(or use two of each)
1 onion, chopped
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles (also called Anaheim chiles, do not use jalapenos unless you like really spicy food)
1 cup plus 1/4 cup grated low fat Mexican cheese blend or grated cheddar cheese
1 T olive oil, (more or less depending on your pan)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Wash squash and zucchini and cut lengthwise into fourths, then into slices about 3/4 inch thick. Heat olive oil in heavy frying pan. Add onion and saute 2-3 minutes, until starting to wilt. Add squash and saute about 4 minutes, or until squash seems not quite half cooked.

Add canned green chiles with juice to the pan and cook 6-8 minutes more, until squash is cooked but still slightly chewy. (This is a personal preference, but I prefer mine a little on the crisp side. Cook a little longer if you prefer a softer texture. More mature squash will take a bit longer to cook.)

Sprinkle one cup of cheese over and cook 1-2 minutes more, stirring until cheese is melted and squash is partly coated with cheese. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately with a bit more cheese sprinkled over each serving.


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image above, "Byrd House Market," borrowed from john.murden at www.flickr.com/photos/murden/1081689707/

recipe from kalyn's kitchen: http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/