Eggplant Lasagna

Author: Cultured Palate

Ingredients
2 - 3 eggplants, depending upon size
Peel the eggplant (or not - your choice) and slice lengthwise in inch slices.
Cook eggplant:
To Boil: Cook eggplant slices until tender in boiling water.
To roast: Place eggplant slices in a single layer on cookie sheets. Brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with
salt and pepper and bake at 400F for 10 minutes. Turn slices over and bake for another 10 minutes or until
golden brown and tender.
Filling
2 lbs Ricotta Cheese - Make Your Own- Homemade Ricotta
3 eggs
2 - 10 oz pkgs frozen chopped spinach, optional
1 tsp garlic powder (where to buy spices)
1 tsp salt (where to buy REAL salt)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Tomato Sauce
1 - 32 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
OR
32 oz can tomato sauce
1 lb ground beef
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp oregano
2 Tbsp basil
6 Tbsp olive oil
tsp salt

***I buy all my spices from my affiliate partner Mountain Rose Herbs because of their superior quality.
Their herbs & spices are organic, non-irradiated plus, I think they are more aromatic and full flavored than
any others.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil and saute onions and garlic until tender. Add ground beef and continue to
stir until browned. Add the remaining ingredients, reduce heat and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes. Adjust
spices to taste.
Instructions
1. In a greased 13 x 9 pan, starting with a bit of tomato sauce in the bottom to prevent sticking, layer:
2. Eggplant Slices
3. Filling
4. Tomato Sauce
5. Mozzarella Cheese - Make your own - Homemade Mozzarella
6. In that order!
7. Be sure to end with Mozzarella Cheese.
8. Bake at 350F for 1 hour.
Quinoa Chocolate Cake White Chocolate Ganache (Optional)
350 g Cooked red quinoa
70 ml Buttermilk
4 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla extract
250 g Honey
120 ml Coconut oil, melted and cooled
70 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease
the sides with a little coconut oil.
In a mixing bowl, add in cooked quinoa, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, honey, and coconut oil.
Stir until incorporated. Now sift in cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until blended
and all dry ingredients are moistened. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the
middle of hot oven for about 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack before serving.
Place the chopped white chocolate into a medium size bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan
until just boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate and leave to stand for two minutes. Stir the
ganache until smooth. Leave the white chocolate ganache to cool and thicken a bit. Coat the cake
with white chocolate ganache if desired or simply dust with the powder sugar. The cakes can be
stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
GANACHE : 100 ml Whipping cream 200 g White chocolate, chopped

Strawberry, quinoa, spinach and cashew salad in a homemade honey-mustard
balsamic vinegar dressing
Ingredients
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper
Salad:
one package (10 oz) fresh spinach, chopped (about 10 cups of torn leaves)
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries (cleaned and hulled)
1 and 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup peaches, finely chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup cashews
Instructions
1. In a medium bowl, combine the dressing ingredients, and whisk together well. Add salt
and pepper to taste. You can serve the dressing immediately or you can cover it and chill
for an hour.
2. In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients, except the cashew nuts. Add the
dressing to the salad and toss. Sprinkle cashew nuts on top of the salad.