at the Water's Edge


Living life and learning all I can along the way!

Eggplant Parmesan & Cherry Margaritas

Eggplant Parmesan with buttered noodles and garden green beans
I decided to be brave tonight and try something new for dinner: Eggplant Parmesan.  Some friends of ours made it for us not too long ago (although, a vegan version), and it was actually quite good.  I wasn't sure that I had ever actually had eggplant before.  For whatever reason, it just always sounded like something that would taste bad.  After my first exposure, however, I realized I might actually like eggplant!  I was at the grocery store today, not really sure what I wanted to make for dinners this week, when I stumbled upon eggplant in the produce section.  I make Chicken Parmesan from time to time, so I figured I could just replace the chicken with eggplant and that could be dinner tonight!  Eggplant is a little different than chicken, so here's the recipe I made up:


Eggplant Parmesan


eggplant parmesan recipe, with frozen, blended cherry margaritas
Ingredients:
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/3 inch thick pieces
1 egg
milk
bread crumbs
seasoning (to taste) - italian seasoning, garlic, etc.
olive oil
pasta or pizza sauce
mozzarella cheese / Italian cheese blend, shredded

Directions:
I remembered that our friends had warned us that it is a little tricky to cook eggplant so that it doesn't turn out bitter or too soggy.  I thought I remembered them soaking it in salt water, but I ended up just sprinkling salt on either side and setting the slices of eggplant on a piece of paper towel for about 15 minutes to "drain".  I then rinsed the eggplant slices under cold water and dried off with paper towel.  From there, I just followed my normal process for Chicken Parmesan.  I dipped each piece of  eggplant in a mixture of 1 beaten egg + milk, the dipped in seasoned breadcrumbs.  I repeated that so each piece was double-coated, then placed in a skillet with enough olive oil to cover the bottom.  I cooked the eggplant over medium heat, turning once, until the breadcrumb coating was browned on both sides.  From there, I transferred the pieces to two baking dishes, topped with pasta sauce and Italian cheese blend, and set under a low broil in the oven until the cheese was bubbly and browned.  It turned out pretty good!  The eggplant was not soggy or bitter -- and, in fact, could hardly be tasted beneath the cheese, sauce and breadcrumbs.  I served this with a side of buttered lemon noodles and green beans from the garden!

I also decided that I needed to use up some of our plethora of cherries.  I had found this recipe online for cherry margaritas.  I adapted it to use about twice as many cherries and made them frozen cherries for a blended drink.  It was pretty good, though a little chunky with the cherries.  Perhaps I should have kept it in the blender longer.

frozen, blended cherry margarita recipe


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ABOUTME

Hi there! My name is Dana and I live in West Michigan with my husband, Tom and our dog Copernicus. I created this space as a place to share the things I learn along this journey I call life. I work in marketing and I'm a sort of Jane of All Trades, interested in all things nature, gardening, cooking, exploring and learning new things. This blog is a conglomeration of my interests, hobbies, life and life lessons. Thanks for stopping by!

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