The Best Eggplant (minus the parmesan) you will ever eat

This weekend was tax free weekend and for me that means "Don't Go Out." 

I don't care what the incentive is I find it easier to not deal with the crowds of people (as it is a bit like Black Friday after Thanksgiving).

So this weekend my husband and I decided to cook.

At the top of my list of things to make with Eggplant Minus the Parm (trust me you will never miss the cheese) with garlic mashed potatoes.

The process requires a litle planning because you have to let the eggplant chill in some salt water.

To do this start by

1) slicing your eggplant (about 1/2 inch thick)
2) place your slices in a bowl of salt water (sorry I forgot the picture)
3) allow to soak for at least 90 minutes

After the eggplant is done chilling it is on to Phase II "Operation Yummy."

Take each of your slices dip in egg

Then dredge in breadcrumb mixture (1 C breadcrumbs, 1 Tbsp garlic salt, pinch of Italian seasoning, and 1 tsp of ground black pepper)

Back to the egg

Then back to the bread crumbs

Place in your frying pan (which should be on medium-high) with enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

Fry each side until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes per side) and you will be left with stacks like this:

My mouth is watering just looking at this.

I prefer to pair this with mashed potatoes instead of pasta...so I whipped up some garlic mashed potatoes

For my potatoes I add three cloves of finely chopped garlic to my potatoes after I've put in my milk and Earth Balance. 

What you are left with is this plate of yumminess

We topped the eggplant with my Kitchen Sink Sauce (recipe here).

As a preview tomorrow I will feature my recipe for spicy black bean cakes and a GIVEAWAY (my first)!!!

As a side note I would like to mention my friend Kelly at Eat Yourself Skinny is running a giveaway today for a Shine necklace and t-shirt from Ashley at The Shine Project.  Head over to both blogs and take a look.  Ashley's goal is to use the money she makes from her Project to help send kids to college...what a great goal to have in life.

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Kitchen Sink Sauce

Between the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and our own garden, we have had a surplus of tomatoes.

So this past week when we were plum full of veggies I decided to make tomato sauce.

What better way to get an assortment of vegetables into your children then through tomato sauce (something that can go on anything from spaghetti, "meatball" subs, to stromboli).

I started out with this

I know that looks like A LOT of produce we ended up using:

3 summer squash
2 patty pan squash
2 vidalia onions
3 bell peppers
5 cloves of garlic
6 carrots
1 jalapeno
20-22 tomatoes
1 bag of spinach

It goes without saying, at least in our house, that the produce was all organic.

After I got everything chopped up (no need for pretty pieces as it will all be blended in the end) I began sauteing everything but the spinach and tomatoes.  For me this gives the vegetables another layer of flavor.

Man does that look good in the pan.  The colors are beautiful and the smell was out of this world.  I didn't use any seasonings just a tablespoon or two of olive oil for the pan.

After about 10 minutes everything had a nice brown caramelized color to it.

I added the vegetables, my vast quantity of tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons of sugar to a stock pot and simmered on low while covered.

After about 20 minutes, although times can very depending on the stove, my veggies had cooked down enough that I could add my spinach.

I let the veggies simmer some more to wilt the spinach and then I let this tomato perfection cool.

It takes a REALLY long time for this to cool off, for me it was overnight.

The next day I blended everything down and canned it

You will notice that I didn't include any spices (not even pepper or salt).  The reasoning for this is that I prefer to season the sauce based upon the meal I am serving.  For example I may want red pepper flakes in one batch for some "meatball" subs (no real meat for me) but for spaghetti I might just want some pepper, salt, and Italian seasoning.
By leaving it plain you can do a variety of things and allows for lots of experimentation.

I have made this sauce once before and had some different veggies (i.e. zucchini which was missing from this batch). 

I encourage you to put anything in that you think will taste good.  This is a great way to make some super powered sauce.

I will feature this sauce next week in my eggplant parmesan...which I promise will delight and have you never thinking chicken was supposed to be in this dish.

For a great Stonyfield "Summer Pack" check out This Mama Cook's
For a great chance to win $100 gift card for Tea Collection check out Akron Ohion Mom

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