As summer is upon us, that means LOTS of farmers markets and gardening is happening too. I may not be a huge fan of the summer, but I am a very big fan of both of these things.
I love to pick up fresh produce and make delicious snacks and meals from it. It's always nice when I can make my kids a fresh, healthy snack instead of the alternative.
One of my favorite ways to cook fresh produce is to make little bites, which happen to be perfect for dipping and for little kid fingers. These make a great snack to take to work too.
Although I do love fried eggplant, it's much healthier when baked, and simple to pair with a delicious marinara sauce for dipping. Not only does this make for a good snack, it is also a good appetizer before dinner.
I decided to add Parmesan to the breading to give it an extra boost of flavor too. Another thing I have learned when cooking these with gluten free breadcrumbs is to spray them with a non-stick cooking spray or butter flavored spray to give them a little bit more color, otherwise they tend to be very "unbaked" looking in color. So far, this has only held true with gluten free breadcrumbs.
Once I have the eggplant nice and coated with my breading mixture, I simply put them on a greased baking sheet and bake them in the oven. They do take about 20 minutes on both sides; I bake them until they are nice and brown. The breading gives them a good boost of flavor, and then pair them with your favorite marinara sauce for an additional flavor.
Do you have a favorite way to serve eggplant? This tops my list, right along with eggplant lasagna - though this eggplant pasta might happen soon too.
Now it's time for these eggplant bites!
Gluten Free Baked Eggplant Bites Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten free flour
- 1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- olive oil cooking spray, or non-stick butter flavored cooking spray
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Thinly slice the eggplant, about 1/8"-inch slices and set aside.
- In a small bowl, crack the eggs and whisk or beat them well to combine.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, breadcrumbs, cheese, and spices.
- Dip each eggplant slice in the egg mixture, then into the flour mixture.
- Shake off the excess and then place on a greased baking sheet or wire rack.
- Once all the eggplant slices are on the baking sheet, evenly coat them with the cooking spray.
- Bake for 20 minutes until browned, carefully remove.
- Once removed, carefully turn the eggplant slices and spray the other side.
- Place back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes or until slightly browned.
- Serve with dipping sauce.
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