Friday, January 31, 2014

Eggplant and Butternut Squash Recipe

I apologize that all of my blog posts this week have been on food. My life has been boring, I haven't been buying any clothes, and it has been way too cold to do anything. I promise that will change next week! I'm back in the gym and going to feel like myself again! I have HATED not being able to do anything...I had a gripe session with Sam this morning.. I told him, " I hate myself right now... I look white, ugly, and fat... I don't like the way I look in the mirror." He just sighs because he's used to it and said, " You'll feel better next week when you're back on schedule..." Is it not amazing how exercise makes us feel good about ourselves? I also have not been sleeping good... When I work out, I sleep like a champ!!!! Tuesday is coming.....I just keep telling myself it's coming!!! Anyway, because of the lack of exercise, I have been trying to watch everything I put in my mouth more close. I made up this recipe last night, so feel free to tweak it how you want it. We like sweet/spicy around here, so that's what I was going for. This recipe is also really good for you gluten girls ( minus the bread crumbs, ) paleo dieters, and vegan eaters ( minus the cheese. )

Eggplant & Butternut Squash Casserole 
You will need:
1 eggplant
1 butternut squash
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons of basil
2 teaspoons of oregano
2 teaspoons of onion powder
2 tablespoons of olive oil
 1/2 cup of Panko crumbs
a jar of spaghetti or marinara sauce 

1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. While it is warming up, dice the butternut squash and eggplant into small cubes. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non stick spray. Place the diced veggies on the baking sheet and pour some olive oil and whatever seasoning on the veggies. Roast for 15 minutes and make sure to turn the vegetables once. 

2. While the vegetables are cooking, grab a big bowl and mix your spaghetti sauce, oregano, basil, cayenne pepper, 1 cup of Parmesan and bread crumbs. ( You can also add any other seasonings of your choice. We like spice, so I added cayenne pepper, but you totally don't have to add cayenne pepper to this recipe. )

3. Once the vegetables have finished cooking, pour the vegetables in the big bowl of sauce and make sure everything is mixed together well. 

4. Turn your oven down to 425 degrees. Grab a casserole dish and pour the vegetable mixture in. Top with the 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and bake for 15 minutes until warm. 

5. Let sit for 10 minutes and enjoy! :)

1 serving: 210 calories, 6 grams of fat, 26 grams of carbs! :) 

I had some leftover spaghetti, so I just served it with a little side of that.

2 comments:

A Simple Southern Life said...

This sounds delicious!

Katie Elizabeth said...

Yum! I've been obsessed with butternut squash this winter so I'll definitely bookmark this!