SLIGHTLY adapted by me from:
"Passionate Vegetarian" by Crescent Dragonwagon
Cooking spray
2 medium-large eggplants, thinly sliced and soaked in salt water for 15 minutes
1/2 cup grated low fat parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 ounces neufchâtel reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
2 teaspoons arrowroot
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
Several gratings of fresh nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 oz. low fat feta cheese
8 to 10 fresh basil leaves (optional)
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (SB friendly)
1. Rinse salt water off the eggplant. Put on a cookie sheet (sprayed with cooking spray), cover with foil, and bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until softened.
2. In a food processor combine olive oil, parm cheese, garlic, and parsley. Pulse until garlic is chopped. Put into a small bowl.
3. Do not wash food processor. Combine cream cheese, egg, arrowroot, and 2 T of the evap skim milk. Pulse until smooth. Add the rest of the evap skim milk.
4. Place half the eggplant in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan, top with tomato sauce and fresh basil leaves (if using), then the rest of the eggplant. Pour custard over the eggplant then sprinkle the top with the parmesan cheese topping. Bake for 30 min. or until custard is firm.
***I eliminated the bread crumbs, replacing with parmesan cheese and subbed low fat feta for ricotta salata. This is amazing. Precooking the eggplant softens it so the skin is not hard at all. The custard firms up while cooking and tastes very decadent. I made this originally because it was much easier than traditional eggplant parm (breading and frying all that eggplant) but it is also much, much tastier. I was shocked.
