Lenten Fridays~Eggplant Parmesan

We love our Italian here at the Pond. I make a pretty great lasagna, if I do say so myself. I'm not so great at cooking the vegetables, though. So in my attempt to avoid yet another "boil-some-noodles-and-call-it-good" night, I dug up this recipe for Eggplant Parmesan from Prevention magazine.

Besides being low in calories, eggplant contains fiber, iron, and calcium, and has been known to lower "bad" cholesterol. This dish - since it contains no breading - is also gluten-free. Hubby gave it a definite thumbs-up, so this one (along with last week's Potato-Egg Bake) is a keeper.

You can serve alone with a nice salad made of butter lettuce and cherry tomatoes, or you can serve alongside hot cooked pasta (G-free, of course! Try Barilla's new gluten-free pasta.). Just make sure you double the sauce to use over your noodles.

In case you don't know about her (and I can't believe you wouldn't) check out Amy from Funny is Family. She has a whole Crock Pot Thursdays series, and her recipes are super yummy! She has an awesome potato soup recipe (just leave off the bacon for Fridays).

See you next week!

Lenten Fridays~Potato Egg Bake

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the first day of Lent for many Christians, including Catholics. Ash Wednesday is a 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and abstinence before Easter. There are actually 46 days before Easter, but Sundays are not included in the fasting period.

However, Fridays, as well as today, are designated "no meat" days. Here is a good explanation of all the possible reasons why this tradition has continued, but ultimately it's about recognizing the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on that Friday long ago. That means seven Fridays before Easter, and seven nights of, "What should I cook?"

If you're not a fan of fish and fish fries (don't worry - we'll keep you in the church), I'm offering six meatless recipes, and one super easy, super yummy recipe for salmon that I just have to give you because even my kids like it.

First up: Potato Egg Bake.

I really love egg and potato casseroles. They have come to remind me of holidays at my sister-in-law's house. She makes the best egg casseroles. They are easy, nutritious, and fairly inexpensive to make. The one I am sharing with you is adapted from one of my go-to cookbooks, Gluten-Free Made Simple: Easy Everyday Meals That Everyone Can Enjoy. It contains lots of protein in the eggs, milk and cheese.
It's a recipe the whole family will love, and when Lent is over, you can throw your favorite meat in the casserole!

One more bonus recipe is here (pancakes - yum!) courtesy of The Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms. Happy Lent everyone!