Eggplant Schnitzels??!!

Eggplant is a staple of an Israeli/Mediterranean diet and I look forward to making often.

One of my daughters shared her secret for firm, bitter-free eggplant and I used it for the base of this recipe. I also learned that choosing light-weight eggplants ensure fewer seeds and firmer flesh.

You can coat them with your favorite breading according to your preference. We eat a very low-carb diet so our breading is either seasoned ground nuts or seeds and coconut or almond flour. You can use bread crumbs or corn flakes and season according to your tastes. I’ve included our favorite here.

Once you’ve breaded and baked these eggplant circles you can use them to layer in eggplant parmesan, as ‘burgers’ in a bun or layered with tomato slices and fresh basil leaves drizzled with dressing as an appetizer. We like them so much we eat them ‘as is’ with our Mediterranean salads and dips as the antipasto part of our meal… especially on Shabbat!

They are absolutely delicious right out of the oven but are surprisingly tasty out of the fridge as well.

Trust me, it’s worth adding the extra step to eggplant prep. Try it and you’ll thank me!

Eggplant Schnitzel

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants
• salt (for sprinkling on slices)
• 5 tablespoons of Galilee Green Olive Oil (GGOO)

Directions for Eggplant

Spread disks on waxpaper and salt them

1. Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch thick circles.
2. Lay the slices on a towel and sprinkle generously with salt on both sides (don’t worry, you’re going to wash it all off).
3. Let them ‘sweat’ for 1/2 an hour.
4. Rinse each slice well and squeeze out the moisture after rinsing.

Ingredients for Two Variations of Coating

Coating #1 Ground Nuts

• 1 1/2 cups finely ground almonds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 cup coconut or almond flour
• 2 well-beaten eggs

Coating #2 Ground Seeds

• 1 1/2 cups finely ground seeds ( your choice of a combination of sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, flax or chia seeds)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 cup coconut or almond flour
• 2 well-beaten eggs

Directions for Coating and Baking the Eggplant

Coated Eggplant Slices Ready for the Oven

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
3. Spread the baking paper with the GGOO
4. Add almond- or coconut flour to a medium bowl.
5. Beat the eggs in a second medium bowl.
6. Mix nuts or seeds together with spices in a third bowl.
7. Take squeezed and dried eggplant slices one at a time and dredge each one first in flour, then egg then breading.
8. Lay each slice on the oil covered baking paper, first on one side, then the other, to coat both sides with Galilee Green Olive Oil. This is an important step for flavor and texture.
9. Bake on one side for 20 to 30 minutes, then flip each piece and bake for another 15 minutes.

Serve hot or cold.

Please let me know if you think the extra step of sweating, rinsing and squeezing was worth it.