How to make: eggplant “parm!”

Eggplant parmesan has always been one of my favorite foods. I rarely order at it a restaurant because it’s usually loaded with gluten and dairy, which are common allergens that may irritate the digestive tract and or be difficult to digest. That’s why it’s so much fun to make a “cleaner” but super delicious version at home that I can indulge in with reckless abandon. :)

Instead of breadcrumbs, we’re using almond meal to avoid gluten. We’re also making this completely dairy free, using coconut milk instead of cheese for a creamy effect. However, some people tolerate dairy better than others and cheese is usually a little easier to digest than a dairy product like straight cow milk. If you’d like to use cheese, feel free to add some mozzarella and or parmesan on top at the very end. (Just remember that for dairy products especially, I recommend choosing pasture raised, grassfed and organic to avoid hormones, antibiotics and other toxins.) Sometimes I make it without cheese, and sometimes I add it on depending on the mood I’m in or the preferences of the people I’m serving. My fiance, Jeff, loves a lot of cheese, so sometimes I do half without cheese for me and half with cheese for him!

I also bake the eggplant instead of frying it, since when frying the eggplant soak up endless amounts of oil (and it’s messy and time consuming!). I’m all for healthy fats like avocado, coconut and olive oil, however we want to avoid eating buckets of fat at once, since your liver has to process the fat you consume and an excess puts a little added stress on your liver and body. I've done it both ways and I promise baking it like this is just as delicious!

Eggplant: health and beauty food or toxic nightshade?

We think of whole plant foods as the simple building blocks of our diet. But in reality the chemical makeup of plants is anything but simple — the carbs, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals we often use to describe them are just a small part of the full picture. We know of over 150 non-nutrient substances, for example, just in the seemingly simple white potato!

These non-nutrient substances have the power to affect the body and mind in varying ways; some positive, some negative. When the effects are generally mostly negative, we call the plant toxic; when they're mostly positive, we generally accept the plant as beneficial for our health.

Often, though, it's not entirely clear cut which box a plant should go into. Take eggplant. It's arguably a great health and beauty food since it’s high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. (You can see the antioxidants in the dark purple skin!)

But it's also a member of the nightshade family, most of which is actually inedible because it's so toxic. That's because chemical compounds in nightshades, like alkaloids and lectins, act as a natural pesticide to deter insects and mold. And these compounds can cause joint paint or exacerbate arthritis in some people.

In the edible nightshades, such as eggplant, white potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes, these compounds are present in much smaller amounts, and are mostly in the leaves and stems, which we don't eat. Cooking reduces them as well. And it's thought that in a healthy digestive system, these compounds may actually have healing effects.

So, should you eat eggplant? If you react to them, have an autoimmune disease, or suffer from joint pain or arthritis, maybe not. But for the majority of us who are in good general health, nightshades are beneficial. As always, listen to your body and see how it responds to what you eat. For me eggplant digests well and is super delicious!

How to make it

Total cooking time of a little over an hour.

Ingredients to gather:

(Always ideally organic when possible.)

• 2 eggplants

• 3 eggs

• Culinary or canned coconut milk

• 2 cups of almond meal (or flour - this is just ground up almonds, any health food store will have this)

• 2 tablespoons each of dried or fresh oregano and basil; fresh basil for garnish

• 24 oz. jar of marinara sauce, or 3-4 cups (I like Organico Bello in tomato basil)

• 2 TB coconut oil

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Sea salt

Equipment to gather:

• 9x13 baking pan

• Two baking sheets

• Bowls

Salt your eggplant

Don't skip this step! This will make your eggplant taste less bitter and have a tender and soft consistency. Cut your eggplant into thin rounds, and place in a bowl or other container, salting each piece. Mix up the eggplant halfway through so that the salt is distributed evenly.  Let sit for about 15 - 20 minutes. You'll start to see the eggplant "sweat" as the salt draws out moisture. When you're ready to move onto the next step, press both sides of each eggplant slice with paper towels to remove most of the salt and moisture.

"Bread" your eggplant

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit and grease two baking sheets with a spoonful of coconut oil each.

Put three eggs and 1/4 cup of coconut milk in a bowl, and mix with a fork. (When possible the coconut milk should be refrigerated for at least an hour before you cook so all the good fat rises to the top.)

In another bowl, put two cups of almond meal, 2 tablespoons oregano and 2 tablespoons basil and mix.

Coat an eggplant round in the egg batter, and let the excess drip off. Lightly coat with the almond meal and place on the baking sheet. You may run out of the coating and breading mixtures — if so just mix some more up! When you've breaded all the eggplant, bake for about 35 minutes until the slices start to brown, turning halfway through. Take out of the oven and reset it to 400 degrees.

Build your layers

Combine the marinara sauce and 2/3 cup of coconut milk to taste (you can add more or less depending on how creamy you want it). Arrange your breaded eggplant in a 9x13 baking dish and cover with some of the marinara sauce and coconut milk. Repeat with your remaining eggplant and sauce and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re adding parmesan and or mozzarella cheese, here’s when you’d add this to the top!

When you're ready to enjoy it, top your eggplant with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, some sea salt and pepper to taste, and some fresh basil. Yum! This is a dish that may taste better on the second or third day after you make it, so it’s great if you want to prep a meal ahead of time. It will stay good in the fridge, covered, for about five to seven days. Can't wait for you to try this — let me know what you think in the comments!