vegetable stacks

this is one for the books, folks. 

i found some really great food/fitness blogs a couple days ago, and this was on one of the more random finds of the day. i was a little skeptical at first, seeing as it's comprised mostly of vegetables, but i couldn't believe my stomach when i was suprisingly stuffed as i took the last bite. plus it's extremely low calorie.

win-win.

vegetable stacks

adapted from the hungry girl cookbook

serves:2

needed:

1 eggplant, sliced into 6 pieces lengthwise

1 yellow squash, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1 small zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1/2 cup cottage cheese

3 tbsp fresh basil. (trust me you will want it fresh)

1/4 cup spinach

3/4 cup marinara sauce

freshly ground pepper and garlic salt

1. heat your oven to 425. while its preheating, heat up a frying pan on medium heat, spray with cooking spray,and throw in your squash and zucchini rounds, cooking 2-3 minutes on each size until a little bit brown. salt and pepper them as they cook.

2. when they're done, throw the rounds on a couple paper towels to soak up any extra condensation. put your eggplant in the pan, salt and pepper, and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes. 

3. while your vegetables are frying, mix your cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth. add garlic salt to taste, pepper, basil, and spinach. mix well.

4. to assemble stacks, put a big spoonful of marinara on a glass baking dish. lay down a slice of eggplant, followed by your cheese mixture. top that with the zucchini and squash rounds, then marinara. do another layer of eggplant, cheese mix, and zucchini. put a piece of eggplant on top, followed by more marinara and parmesean cheese to taste. do the same to your other stack.

5. throw your dish in the oven for 15-20 minutes, then when cheese is bubbly, remove from oven and let cool. serve, enjoy, and lick that plate clean.

xo