Eggplant Parmesan

I'm in a remarkably good mood today and posting like a crazy person as a result! My friend Eric reminded me this morning of something I strongly believe in. Saying, "I don't have time," is just a polite way of saying "It's not a priority to me." I always think I don't have time to blog anymore, but really I just wasn't making it a priority. I also use that excuse for running, getting print materials, and restocking my Etsy shop. So, no more excuses. I'm going to start making sure I take the time everyday to make more *fun* things a priority, not just businessy things.

This weekend I got caught up on editing two large shoots that were bogging down my brain. I did three new ones but I feel caught up to the point where it's not overwhelming anymore. I also spent a lot of time with my friend Jen and we finished a painting project that I'll post later.

Matt was gone all weekend so I ate mostly leftovers or went out for meals. Sunday I wanted to make something really good for dinner since he'd be home. I decided on chicken parmesan.

So, I went to the store.

And I looked at the chicken.

And I couldn't believe how expensive chicken breasts are.

I thought about it for a minute and went over to the produce section. How about eggplant parmesan instead? Two fresh chicken breasts were something like $7. A big honkin eggplant was 99 cents. So, eggplant it was.

I had never cooked an eggplant before and it kind of scared me - this huge purple bulb with a funny hat... A quick google search showed me just how easy it is. Slice up the eggplant, bread it, fry it, done. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty good. Not fantastic, but I think if I made it again it would be better. I'm surprised at how meaty in texture it was. It felt thick and substantial, more so than most produce does when you fry it up. Kind of like a fried portobello.

I loosely followed some instructions that said to slice it 3/4 of an inch thick. Personally, I think it was too thick. I thought some of the bigger slices tasted too much like cucumbers. Next time I'll slice it 1/3 of an inch. To bread, I dipped the slices in egg wash, flour, egg wash again, then bread crumbs. Then I pan fried it in a bit of olive oil.

I got about 10 slices out of my 99 cent eggplant so it was definitely worth the money. I plan on cooking it again. I'm on another one of those "meat is disgusting" benders (that will probably only last until the next time I smell bacon) so I'm trying to come up with some good stuff. I want to try a mushroom and eggplant veggie burger next.