Eggplant kind of creeps me out. First of all, what kind of a name is eggplant? Did someone name it that as a joke and it just stuck? Was someone trying to make it sound unappealing? And what’s with the strange somewhat leathery, somewhat waxy skin? It can just be a rather off-putting vegetable in all honesty.
How do you solve the problem of off-putting vegetables? Fry them and add cheese and carbs of course!
Also, it never hurts to put things in sandwich form. Sandwiches are one of God’s greatest gifts to us humans, you know.
Check out this stellar change of subject: eggplants are vegetables, vegetables are plants, plants need water, humans also need water, sometimes humans swim in water, I’m going to give swimming a try. Please, please, hold your applause. So I’m still injured and unfortunately my “running through the pain” strategy shockingly enough just seems to make things worse.
So I’m still injured and unfortunately my “running through the pain” strategy shockingly enough just seems to make things worse. I’ve been doing a lot of cross-training, but that can get old pretty fast. Plus it can be a little limiting when all you have is an 8-pound medicine ball and a set of 5-pound weights. Even though my creativity has been paying off, resulting in some seriously sweaty workouts, I know I need to add more variety.
Enter the local high school swimming pool. For a reasonable fee, I can relive my high-school gym class during open swim hours!
I do not like swimming. I almost dislike it as much as biking, which is a lot. All those swim classes I was forced to take as a kid in the dead of winter certainly didn’t help. I mean, I get that it’s a life-saving skill… But geez I’ll just stay on land and avoid cruises.
To me, swimming is a lot like the eggplant. As a runner and human being I know it’s good for me, but I also think it’s kind of weird and unpleasant. Great analogy, right?
However, we all have times in our life where we need to make lemonade out of those darn lemons. Right now, my lemons are swimming and eggplants. My lemonade is being ridiculously in shape for my next marathon training season (that’s what swimming does, right?) and eggplant parmesan sliders.
To keep things interesting, these sliders have so much more to offer than traditional marinara. I’m talking roasted red peppers! I blended them up in my food processor and added them to a pretty typical tomato-based sauce for a ton of flavor.
I decided to go with stacks of thinly-sliced eggplant instead of a single layer of thicker-sliced eggplant. That means more panko topping and less eggplant! If you’re an eggplant enthusiast, feel free to enjoy it thick-sliced.
Using a whole-grain baguette makes for easy assembly, but buns of any nature would work as well. With the tasty sauce, always reliable mozzarella cheese, and crispy coating, you’ll hardly remember you’re eating eggplant. Which is the whole point, right?
Okay, new goal: Keep a more open mind about swimming and the dastardly eggplant.
Note: These sliders pair well with a salad for you healthy people or roasted potatoes for those of you who like to live life to the fullest.
Eggplant sliders with roasted red pepper sauce
Ingredients
For sauce
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1 7.75 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained (or whole roasted red pepper)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
For eggplant
- 1 small eggplant, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp coarse sea salt
- 2 cups panko
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup olive oil
For construction
- 1 whole grain baguette
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
For the sauce
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In a food processor, pulse together onion and garlic until finely chopped. Set aside and use the food processor to pulse roasted red pepper until smooth.
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Heat olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan to a medium heat. Sautee the onion/garlic mixture for a few minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add roasted red pepper and saute for an additional few minutes.
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Turn the heat to low and add tomato sauce and salt and pepper. Cover and let the sauce simmer for at least fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the basil and continue cooking on low until ready to serve.
For the eggplant
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Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet lined with paper towels, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the salt and let sit for 5 minutes. Flip over slices and sprinkle on the remaining tablespoon of the salt. Let sit for an additional 5 minutes.
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Meanwhile, mix flour, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Have three shallow dishes ready with flour mixture, beaten egg, and panko.
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In a large skillet, heat olive oil over a medium heat.
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Use a paper towel to pat down the eggplant slices, removing as much moisture as possible. Use a fork to dip a slice of eggplant in the egg, flour, egg, then panko mixture.
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When the oil is hot, place panko-covered eggplant slices in the pan and cook until each side is golden brown. Drain on a paper-towel covered plate. Continue in batches until all slices are cooked.
For construction
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Slice the baguette in half length-wise. Spread a generous amount of sauce on both halves of the baguette.
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Layer the eggplant slices on the bottom half and cover with cheese. Place both halves of the baguette on a baking sheet and bake for five minutes or until cheese is melted and baguette is crispy.
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Cut into six parts and enjoy immediately!
