Eggplant Personal Pizzas

Have you ever had the craving for pizza but didn't want to ruin your hard work from dieting all week? Well this is the perfect answer! It is all the flavors you love from pizza, but healthier! It even counts for two of your daily servings of vegetables. Now how could you beat that!

Recipe yields 6 servings (2 pizzas each)

Ingredients

2 medium eggplant

4 large egg whites

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (I use the ones with Italian seasoning!)

6 whole wheat english muffins

1 can tomato sauce (You know I love Tuttorosso)

1 cup shredded fat free mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice eggplant in 1/4"-1/2" slices. My family likes them on the thin side so they become nice and crispy when they cook, but you can slice them however you prefer. (Cooking times will vary with thicker slices).

Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Dredge the eggplant slices in egg whites and then cover with breadcrumbs. Place slices flat on the baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Turn over half way through cooking time. While eggplant is in the oven, slice english muffins and toast them in the toaster. Remove eggplant from oven and take off baking sheet. On the same baking sheet, place english muffins in a flat layer. Top with pieces of cooked eggplant. I usually like to put 2-3 pieces (depending on size) on top of each muffin. Atop the eggplant, place a spoonful of tomato sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

Return baking sheet to oven and cook for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted. Remove from oven, serve and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes

Well here goes nothing... I have been contemplating starting a blog for about three months now and yesterday I finally got up the courage to put one together. The purpose of my blog is to track my culinary journey of learning and exploring different cuisines and techniques. I hope you enjoy the recipes I share and use what I have learned to help you in your kitchen.

In honor of my very first post, I decided to discuss two recipes. The first is Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes. As you will quickly come to see, the majority of recipes I share with you will be health conscious being that I am normally cooking for my parents who are currently watching their weight. However, I have learned by using the right mix of spices and flavors, you can turn anything into a delicious dish. 

Recipe yields 12 pancakes
Note: This recipe was adapted from skinnytaste.com


Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 large banana, very ripe
1 cup milk
3 large egg whites
2 tsp oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp chopped walnuts
Cooking spray


In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla and set aside. On a flat surface, peel the banana and slice into chunks. Using the back of a spoon, gently mash the banana. (I like to leave it a little chunky to get pieces of banana in the pancakes. If you just want banana flavor, mash until creamy.) Add the banana to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Slowly combine dry ingredients with the wet while mixing until all dry ingredients are incorporated. DO NOT over mix. (This will lead to a tough pancake, not soft and moist which we want!)

Heat a skillet on medium heat and lightly coat with cooking spray. I usually like to let the pan heat for a good 1-2 minutes. If you ever notice the last batch always comes out with a nice golden color it is because the pan is properly heated by that point. Once the skillet is heated, pour in 1/4 cup of the batter. (Using 1/4 cup per pancake will yield 12 regular size pancakes. At my house, we prefer silver dollar size, so I usually use less batter per pancake.) You will know the pancakes are ready to flip when you notice little bubbles along the surface.

Once the pancakes are ready, serve with pieces of sliced banana and a handful of chopped walnuts. The sweetness and flavor of these pancakes makes syrup optional!