Recipe: Tomato, Cucumber, & Avocado Salad and Eggplant Parmesan with Fresh Basil and Mozzarella

With the fresh veggies I received from Polk’s on the Go, I decided to cook dinner when I got home from work today.  Something must be wrong with me, but I’m going to roll with it.  Hopefully, this behavior continues because I do enjoy cooking….and eating.  Tonight’s special at the Arango household included a fresh tomato, cucumber, and avocado salad with Gorgonzola cheese and balsamic vinaigrette dressing and eggplant Parmesan with fresh basil and Mozzarella.  It was delicious!  Enjoy!

Tomato, Cucumber, & Avocado Salad with Gorgonzola Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette

TOMATO, CUCUMBER, & AVOCADO SALAD WITH GORGONZOLA CHEESE & BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

• Tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Avocado
• Fresh Basil
• Gorgonzola Cheese (crumbled)
• Lemon Juice
• Salt & Pepper
• Balsamic Vinaigrette (I usually buy the ones sold in the refrigeration produce section)

1. Dice up tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocados and mix in large bowl.
2. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper, basil, Gorgonzola cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette

Eggplant Parmesan with Fresh Basil and Mozzarella

EGGPLANT PARMESAN WITH FRESH BASIL AND MOZARELLA

• 1 Purple Eggplant (unpeeled, trimmed and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices)
• 1 tsp Fine Sea Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tbsp Milk
• 1 cup Italian-Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 3/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (or as needed)
• 1 (24 oz) Jar of Marina Sauce
• 1 Bunch Fresh Basil (coarsely chopped)
• 1 (16 oz) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/2 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Line a plate with paper towel; place a layer of 2 or 3 slices of eggplant onto the towel.  Sprinkle eggplant with sea salt.  Repeat layers of eggplant sprinkled with salt until all eggplant slices are stacked.  Place 2 paper towels onto the stack and place a plate on top of the towels.  Lay a heavy book or can of food onto the plate to squeeze out moisture.  Allow to drip for 20 minutes to 2 hours.  Rinse and pat dry.
2. Beat eggs with milk in a shallow bowl.  Place bread crumbs into a separate bowl.  Dip eggplant slices in the egg mixture and gently press into the crumbs to coat; set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease baking dish.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; fry eggplant slices in the hot oil in small batches until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.  Drain on paper towels.
5. Pour about 1/4 cup of marinara sauce into the bottom of the greased baking dish and arrange a layer of eggplant slices to cover the sauce.  Scatter basil and half of the bag of shredded mozzarella over eggplant.  Repeat layers, ending with a layer of sauce on top.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.
6. Bake for 15 minutes (until heated through and the cheese has melted).  Served immediately.

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