Eggplant Strata

For dinner tonight, I went back to my Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites cookbook. I always have trouble creating and finding new recipes for eggplant, so when I saw this one, I was super excited! It's very healthy and can be made ahead of time and consumed at a later time. The recipe says to eat it cold, but I heated mine up. I also used dried cannelini beans, which held their shape a bit more and didn't mash so much, but either way is fine. I did have a bit of a brain cramp, I accidently wrote down and bought cottage cheese instead of ricotta, but it tasted great with the cottage cheese!

Eggplant Strata

from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

1 eggplant

1 tbsp. EVOO

Salt

1 1/2 - 2 c. cannelini beans, or 1 15 oz. can, drained

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/2 c. nonfat ricotta

2 tbsp. feta, crumbled

2 tbsp. chopped dill

1 c. parsley (I used spinach)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. chopped tomatoes

2/3 c. roasted red peppers (I used 2 fresh and roasted them myself)

Turn broiler on high.

Cut eggplant into disks.

Cover with EVOO, salt and pepper.

Broil for 3-4 minutes per side.

Set aside.

Roast red peppers for 6-8 minutes, peel, slice and set aside.

Pour beans into a dish, mash with lemon juice and cumin.

In a blender, combine garlic, tomatoes and parsley. Pulse and set aside.

Line a loaf pan with parchment or plastic wrap.

Arrange 1/3 of the eggplant on the bottom.

Top with bean mixture.

Top with red pepper strips.

Top with another third of the eggplant.

Top with cheese mixture.

Top with tomato mixture.

Finally, top with remaining eggplant.

Cover with plastic, top with cans to weigh down and press.

Refrigerate for 2 hours or more.

I topped mine with sliced almonds and dill, this was delicious!