kiss it goodbye

growing up there wasn't much variety in the vegetables we ate, i'd say on average we ate 5 different ones, and eggplant was definitely not one of them! now, don't get me wrong, we did eat it, but only if it was breaded, fried and covered in oooey, gooey cheese, and was also known as eggplant parmesan. it's a dish that's usually drenched in tomato sauce, paired with white noodles, and buttery garlic bread on the side. this is not a clean eating meal by anyone's standards.

i am a huge fan of clean eating magazine so i was very excited that the september / october 2009 issue had a recipe for eggplant parmesan. it had been forever since joe and i had eggplant parmesan, so we were excited to try it clean eating style.

it turned out fantastic! it had so much flavor and the bulgar was a great twist on the usual noodles. another plus to the dinner was that it makes 6 servings and freezes easily, which is good for joe and i. we love leftovers that we can eat for lunch or freeze and have for a meal at a later date.

so here's the recipe from the September / October 2009 issue of Clean Eating:

Eggplant Parmesan with Bulgur & Pine Nuts

serves 6. hands-on time: 25 min. total time: 40 minutes

ingredient:

olive oil cooking spray

3 large egg whites; lightly beaten

3/4 c. whole-wheat panko or bread crumbs

6 tbsp low-fat parmesan cheese, grated

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 globe eggplants (about 2 1/4 lbs total)

1 1/3 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1 c. bulgur

2 medium tomatoes (about 14 oz.), cut into large chunks

1 tbsp no-salt-added tomato paste

2 cloves garlic

12 large basil leaves, divided

1 c. part-skim, low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

instructions:

one: preheat oven to 425*F. coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray. set aside.

two: place eggs in a shallow bowl. in another shallow bowl, combine panko, parmesan, oregano, garlic powder and salt. trim edges off eggplants and cut each eggplant crosswise into 6 3/4-inch slices. one at a time, dip eggplant slices in egg whites, then panko mixture, arranging coated slices on prepared baking sheets. bake until eggplant is tender and golden brown, about 25 minutes.

three: meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over high heat, bring chicken broth to a boil. stir in bulgur, cover, turn off heat and set aside for 30 minutes.

four: while eggplant is cooking and bulgur is softening, combine tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic and 8 basil leaves in a food processor and pulse to make a chunky sauce. transfer to a small saucepan over medium heat. bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened slightly, 8 to 10 minutes.

five: remove eggplant from oven and preheat broiler. arrange an oven rack about 8 inches from heating element.

six: spoon tomato sauce over eggplant slices, dividing it evenly. sprinkle mozzarella over tomato sauce, dividing it evenly. use a spatula to place 6 eggplant slices on top of 6 others, making 6 stacks, of 2 slices, on 1 baking sheet. broil until mozzarella is browning on top and melted in the middle, about 3 minutes.

seven: meanwhile, chop or thinly slice the remaining 4 basil leaves. stir basil and pine nuts into bulgur. serve alongside eggplant parmesan.

nutrition: per 1 eggplant parmesan stack and 1/2c. bulgur mixture:

calories: 340; total fat: 13g.; sat. fat: 2.5g; carbs: 54g; fiber: 15g; sugars: 7g; protein: 19g; sodium: 410mg; cholesterol: 10mg

to freeze:

store the eggplant stacks apart from bulgur - in resealable bags or freezer containers - then freeze both fro 3 to 4 months. ideally, leave basil out of any bulgur you'll be freezing, but it's not critical. to reheat, defrost in fridge overnight, then wrap eggplant parmesan in foil packets, place packets on a rimmed baking sheet and rewarm in oven at 325*F to 350*F until heated through. bulgur can be rewarmed in a saucepan over medium-low heat with a little water.