Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini Paremsan

Perfect for all the late summer vegetables at the farmer's market. This dish was super easy to make, and very tasty. The two picky kids were a little turned off at the vegetables (eggplant and zucchini are rarely at the top of their favorites list) but cleaned their plates once they gave it a chance.This had a ton of flavor despite being such a simple list of ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/4 in slices
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 in slices
1 pound silken tofu (you can use ricotta cheese here, if you'd prefer)
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for baking sheet
pinch of salt
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil 2 large baking sheets. Place eggplant and zucchini slices on sheets and bake 7 to 10 minutes per side, or until tender. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. While vegetables are roasting, puree tofu, parsley and olive oil in a food processor (I added a little salt to the mix since I didn't see any used in the recipe).
In an 8 or 9 inch square pan, layer the vegetables with sauce and tofu mixture in the following order:
sauce
eggplant
tofu
zucchini
tofu

Repeat until all the ingredients are used. Finish with sauce on top. (It really doesn't matter the order- just get it all in there and top it with sauce.) Top with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bubbly. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Note: This can be frozen just prior to baking. To reheat, thaw in refrigerator. Bake covered at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Inspired by Cathe Olson's "The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook"

Gluten Free Challenge

I am finding that sticking to a Gluten Free diet is extremely challenging given my circumstances.

Road Block Number One:
Pregnancy. An immediate challenge. I wake up in the morning with a blood sugar level and nausea dragging me down so hard all I can manage is popping something into the toaster. It's usually a piece of Sweet Hawaiian Bread spread with melted peanut butter, a plain bagel and cream cheese, or at my worst- a Pop Tart. Terrible, I know. Carbs and pregnancy go together. They are instant fuel for a drained system. They pad all that extra stomach acid and calm the stomach down. Add that to debilitating fatigue sprinkled throughout the day and it's a sure-fire way to mail it in and call the pizza guy for dinner.


Road Block Number Two:
Children. Their presence of course is a blessing, but turning the tables on them too quickly will cause a riot. The pantry is full of lots of goodies for them to munch on including a rainbow of cereals, breads, after school snacks, and aforementioned Pop-Tarts. My three children are great at eating, but like me, you take away all the starchy breakfast foods and they will think I've punished them. Should I be converting them as well in order to assure my own success? Can they survive without a sandwich in their lunch and waffles for breakfast? Or can I just resist the temptation of all those convenience foods?

The challenge is solved with more preparation. Have some pre-flighted choices available to grab when the blood sugar runs low and the kids are nearly dying of starvation at 2:30. That means baking some GF cookies, brownies, and pre-cutting some vegetables. Now, if I can just get off the couch...vicious circle.