And another easy meal....

We went wine tasting up to Amador county with good friends yesterday.  On the way back we stopped at a (large) local farmers stand and bought fresh produce.  The eggplants are gorgeous this year, and for only a buck you can't go wrong. We also bought a huge bag of green beans for 2.50 and a basket of cherry tomatoes for 1.00.  Great finds!

Ingredients
1 eggplant
1 beaten egg
2 cups Panko, seasoned with Italian seasoning
Parmesan cheese (added to the Panko)
Olive oil
Jarred spaghetti sauce
Mozzarella or provolone cheese

Eggplant Parmesan
Slice eggplant in 1/2 inch thick pieces.  Lay on a baking pan in single slices.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and let set for 1 hour.  Wipe salt and excess moisture off.  Assemble the egg and panko in separate bowls near the stove.  Lightly coat a saute pan with olive oil and heat on med until hot.  Dip the eggplant in the egg, turning to coat.  Dip in panko, turning to coat.  Add to the hot saute pan and let cook until browned on both sides.  Place in a 9x13 baking dish that's been sprayed with baking spray. Once all the pieces are browned and in the baking dish (may have to use more than one baking pan), cover each piece with approximately 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce.  Grate mozzarella cheese cheese, or use sliced provolone, and sprinkle on top of each piece.  Cook on 375 for about 25 minutes, or until the cheese is nicely browned.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

Sauteed Green Beans
Wash and cut green beans to desired length.  Heat olive oil in pan, add green beans, and cook on medium until the green beans are no longer hard.  Cover the pan for a few minutes, just to soften the green beans.  When the Eggplant comes out of the oven, uncover the green beans and turn the heat up high, sauteing until the green beans have a nice, light brown color on them.  Add roasted cherry tomatoes if desired.  To roast tomatoes, stir them with a little bit of olive oil, add salt and pepper, and cook on low heat (300) for 30 minutes or until they break open and are sizzling.

Helpful Hints
The green beans don't have to be started until the eggplant goes into the oven.
More or less cheese can be added, depending on how much you like.  I happened to have some sliced provolone that needed to be used so each piece in my pan had a round slice on top.
This dish is great with a nice red from Dobra Zemlja winery ( or any red for that matter )

~Julie