Well it's finally starting to feel like summer! Woo! Bring on the heat!
As a gal on the Specific Carb Diet, pasta is something that I will always long for. I find myself craving pesto, or a good tomato sauce. Well friends, this dish took me there! It HIT THE SPOT!!
With zucchini noodles, you get that slupry texture, carb-y bulk, and aesthetic appearance of noodles! It's a ten in my book!
So what did I make, exactly? SCD Eggplant "Non-Parmesan!"
It's gluten free, SCD, Paleo and Vegan w/ a BED option!
Here's what you need: (serves 1)
1/2 red pepper (SCD use 1 roasted red pepper)
1 medium carrot
1/4 onion
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup grape tomatoes - about 15 (or 2 roma tomatoes) (BED omit - use whole red pepper instead)
splash of white wine (about 3 Tbsp) (BED sub veg stock)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper
3 slices eggplant, 1/4 inch thick
1/2 - 3/4 cup almond flour
salt and pepper and pinch oregano
1 egg white, beaten (Vegan option: plain almond milk)
1 zucchini, "noodlized"
4 olives, sliced
fresh basil, chopped
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice 1/4 inch rounds of your eggplant. Place your egg white, or almond milk, in a bowl. Place almond flour and seasoning in another bowl. Dip your eggplant slice in the egg white, and then coat it in the almond flour. Place on a tin-foil-lined, olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet. Spritz the slices with olive oil and then bake for 30 minutes, flipping once, halfway through.
When you flip the eggplant, add your "noodlized" zucchini to the tray, and bake it for the final 15 minutes, stirring once, halfway through.
Meanwhile, saute your carrots and onion in 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, and spices. Let it soften for about 4 minutes. Then, add your peppers. Let those soften for about 3 minutes. Then, add your garlic and tomatoes. Let those cook for about 3 minutes. Then, deglaze with the white wine. Let it cook for about 2 minutes. Transfer to your food processor, and blitz until smooth.
Toss your "zoodles" with the sauce, top with the eggplant rounds, and garnish with the black olives.
Wow. Where to begin on this one?! First of all, this sauce was TERRIFIC. It's so simple, but it's just bursting flavor! It's made with all fresh, whole, ingredients. It literally tastes like a stroll through the garden! And the olives give it a wonderfully salty punch. Just fabulous.
And the "zoodles" are slurpy and chewy! And by baking them briefly, they become pliable and warm. It's definitely not the stereotypical "raw" meal. I've been to raw restaurants, and I'm always disappointed because the meal's always cold!! I always think, "this would taste so good if they just nuked it for about 30 seconds!" haha...I know that defeats the "raw" purpose, but I'm old fashioned: I like a warm plate of spaghetti.
And the eggplant....SO GOOD!! The almond coating gives it this nutty richness. The outside is crisp, and then you get to the chewy, and earthy eggplant center. I may have re-fallen in love with eggplant again:)
What a delightful meal. I hope you all are having a wonderful week!
Need a spiralizer or food processor? Here are the ones I use and love!
for only $2.99!
