Happy New Year! I am very thankful for all the things that came together this year. I feel truly blessed: for my new job, my family, my friends (new and old), my two dogs, a patient fiancé, and the ability to be blogging this new recipe for all my readers.

The most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and eat healthier. Here is a new recipe, originally from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/09/baked-eggplant-sticks.html, but of course with my own alterations. This is very low-calorie meal that is an excellent side to any dish. A 1/3 cup serving of this counts as one vegetable serving and is delicious with marinara sauce.

Ingredients:

•  1 lb Eggplant
• 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt, extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/2 – 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
• 1 large Egg White
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• 1 cup Marinara Sauce (optional)
  

Step 1: Pre-Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Step 2: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum paper.

*Parchment paper makes it easier to flip but aluminum paper makes it crunchier. We found this out by lining the baking sheet half with parchment paper and half with aluminum foil. It was a quick experiment to see if it really affected how to eggplant cooked.

Step 3: Cut off the ends of the eggplant and slice into 1/4 inch sticks.

Step 4: In a gallon sized ziplock, add sea salt, black pepper, panko and parmesan cheese. Seal bag and shake until dry ingredients are well-combined. Set aside.

*I like using ziplock bags because it allows for less mess and less time to coat things.

Step 5: In a large bowl, lightly whisk one egg white and olive oil.

Step 6: Toss eggplant in egg white mixture until well-coated.

Step 7: Place a few sticks inside the bag, seal and shake until well-coated.

Step 8: Place on baking sheet (optional: spray with an olive oil spray before baking) and bake for 10 minutes.

Step 9: Flip the eggplant sticks over and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Step 10: Eat and Enjoy!