Mini Eggplant Pizzas

I am back to blogging after a long hiatus. The holidays were busy and my poor immune system got hit with every illness in the book, but no more excuses. Time to get back on track with healthy eating!

My Portobello Pizzas (http://calorieconsciousgourmet.blogspot.com/2010/03/portobello-mushroom-pizzas.html) are my go-to recipe when I'm craving pizza but trying to watch my carb intake. Unfortunately, the cravings were off the charts recently and I got a little tired of the portobellos. Eggplants were on sale at the grocery store, so I gave it a try as my pizza base, and it worked beautifully. This is a good way to sneak more vegetables into your diet and satisfy your pizza craving without feeling guilty.

Mini Eggplant Pizzas

1 medium-largish purple eggplant
1.5 cups pizza sauce (your favorite jarred brand, or whip up your own with my simple recipe below)
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
fresh basil leaves (optional)
olive oil for brushing the eggplant slices
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425. Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch thick discs. Brush each side with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Season the slices with salt and pepper (one side is fine). Bake for 5 minutes, then flip them over and bake for 5 more. Top the slices with desired amount of sauce and cheese. Put back in the oven and bake until cheese is melted and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Top with fresh basil leaves.

Simple Pizza Sauce
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, warm the olive oil up on medium heat, then add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, oregano, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. The amount of salt you add will depend on how salty the tomato sauce is - start with a small amount and add more if necessary. Bring to a low bubble, then reduce to simmer and cook until sauce is thick, about 15-20 minutes.

Low Carb Eggplant Lasagna

I will be posting a lot of low carb recipes in the next 6 weeks or so. My boyfriend does what he calls his "lent diet" every year at this time - he does not eat any bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, or anything made with those ingredients for the duration of Lent. This was a bit frustrating for me our first 2 Lents together but now I enjoy the challenge of finding new recipes and ways to alter existing recipes to make them low carb. We both love Italian food, which is typically very high in carbs but I've experimented with some variations so that we can still enjoy it. For example, you can replace the noodles in lasagna with thin slices of baked or grilled eggplant.
Use your favorite lasagna recipe with eggplant prepared as follows instead of noodles. Start with a large eggplant and slice it into circles as thinly as you can. Put them on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and lightly brush with them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for about 2-4 minutes (depending on how thick your slices are), then flip them over, season the other side, and bake for another 2-4 minutes. The eggplant slices should be slightly brown and soft. Layer them in your lasagna like you would noodles. You can grill the eggplant instead of baking it, which adds a hint of smokiness.