My latest obsession with finding new (gluten-free) vegetable recipes is due to our participation in a CSA farm share this summer and fall. This is our first year trying out a CSA, so I’ve been scrambling to find ways to prepare all the various vegetables filling our fridge. Two tomatoes I know how to handle; two POUNDS of tomatoes is a different– yet DELICIOUS– story.
Eggplant was one of our choices for pick-up on Saturday, so I grabbed one. Prior to going gluten free I would have simply whipped up a dish of eggplant parm and called it a day. But since I’m also watching my dairy and egg intake, that was out of the running. Enter Pinterest, which led me to a recipe for Baked Eggplant from The Nutrition Twins. It looks great, but contains loads of gluten, egg and dairy so I had to modify it. If you aren’t a gluten-dairy-egg intolerant nutcase like me, you won’t have to do these modifications– you can use regular breadcrumbs for the gluten-free panko, or regular milk instead of coconut milk. Since the eggplant was in the shape of ‘fries’, they appealed to the kids and one out of two fussy eaters scarfed them down. The other one was asleep. Bless him, he’s so quiet this way.
Allergy note: the panko I used does contain some milk and eggs. I’m on a low-dairy diet so that doesn’t bother me, but if you are totally intolerant to those ingredients you’ll need to use a different breadcrumb replacement. Here’s the gluten free panko brand I use, it’s amazing for making breaded fish, fish tacos, and chicken nuggets!
As you can see, the panko stuck nicely to the eggplant even without a flour layer. Score one for gluten-free!
There’s a few options for the dipping sauce listed in the recipe. Pick your family’s favorite.
Here’s the recipe, enjoy!
- 1 eggplant, peeled and sliced into fry shapes
- 3 TB EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
- 1 c. gluten-free panko
- ½ TB fresh rosemary (or other favorite herb, to taste)
- 1 c. unsweetened coconut milk (or regular milk, if not intolerant)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper
- parmesan cheese (optional)
- dipping sauce (see below)
- The first step is to draw the water from the eggplant slices by 'sweating' it. Sprinkle the slices with the salt, and let sit in a colander over a sink for about 30 minutes. Then, pat dry and wipe off excess salt if needed.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and sprinkle olive oil on the baking sheet.
- Prepare the breading in a shallow bowl by combining panko with freshly ground pepper, rosemary, and parmesan cheese (if not intolerant). Pour the coconut milk into a separate shallow bowl.
- Dip each eggplant slice in the milk, then roll in the panko mixture until completely coated. Place in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Bake 10 minutes until slightly browned. Turn each piece, and then bake for and additional 10 minutes until browned.
- There are several options for your dipping sauce. The easiest is to use your favorite jarred marinara. Another way is to serve with roasted tomatoes (see link at the end of this post). Or, you can put some canned diced tomatoes, some of the leftover panko mixture, a dash of EVOO, dash of cider vinegar, and a little water in a food processor for a minute and create a special dipper.
And because I love to take photos of my food and put them on the internet, join my eating adventures on Instagram. Plus, I’ve been pinning favorite vegetable and/or gluten-free recipes to my Healthy Recipes board so be sure to follow it if that’s your type of thing.
Oh, and about those pounds of tomatoes I mentioned? This recipe for roasted tomato sauce has been my go-to! I just keep taking my 786 pounds of tomatoes and roasting and freezing them in anticipation of stews and soups this winter. See, I’m getting the hang of this CSA thing. My kids are on board too, as long as I keep making ‘fries’.
Any favorite vegetable recipes or CSA tips to share? It’s kale season again, got any good ideas for all those greens?
{Gluten-Free Eggplant ‘Fries’ Recipe is linking up with: Nifty Thrifty Sunday | Foodie Friday | Liz Marie Blog }
I almost picked up a big eggplant on Saturday, and then went with the teeny ones. They would work just as well for this, I’m sure. Adding gluten-free bread crumbs to my shopping list.
I love eggplant parm. This is definitely an easy take on eggplant!
I can’t wait to try this! We have some panko that is dairy free in our pantry now
YUM! I’ll have to add this one to my “eggplant round-up”! Can’t wait to try these:)