Faux Pasta and a Meatless Dish

Meatless Monday.
If you're friends jumped off a bridge would you?
How bout you just try to make 1 meatless meal ANY day of the week....why does it have to be Monday?  Just because it rolls off the tongue?  Because it seems a lot of people out there do it too?
BAH, I have Mash Up Monday's - that rolls off your tongue too but that doesn't mean I think you all should make a creative mash up meal on Mondays.  (wait, maybe I do haha)

Can you tell I don't like to conform?  Maybe I should post this tomorrow since today is Monday? HA

Our farmers market season is back full swing, actually, its been on for just over a month or so now and we're back to "pick a veggie" week.  This is when I ask the fam what fruit or veggie we either haven't had, or hardly eat and I try to create a dish with it so we can fall in love with it all over again.
This past week it was eggplant!!
Our last eggplant dish was the parm.  It didn't wow the crowd, I took it off the rotation.  BUT THIS DID!

Eggplant Cannelloni!
No meat, no pasta.  That's right, I said it. 
Grab a knife and fork, dig in.....it has the texture of a pasta dish but its all veggie (well except the filling)

Enjoy!

I'm Listening to:  Sade - Smooth Operator (thanks Boho clan for the reminder)



Eggplant Cannelloni

2 eggplants
buttermilk
flour
egg
milk
salt/pepper/oregano/thyme
herbed goat cheese
fresh basil leaves
minced garlic





Slice the eggplant lengthwise in 1/4 - 1/2 in strips and place in a shallow dish with the
buttermilk.
Leave alone for a good 10 minutes or so.

Prepare your dredging stations.
In one dish add the flour, salt, pepper, oregano and thyme (the spice ratio is all relative
to your flour, just depends on how much you're cooking for but I used about
1 1/2 c. flour, 1 tsp pepper, 2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. thyme.)
In another dish whisk together an egg and a few tablespoons of milk until frothy.
Heat a frying pan on medium/high heat with a little butter and olive oil together - enough to
fry up your eggplant strips.
Dip your eggplant into the flour on both sides, shake off any excess and submerge into the
egg wash.  Slowly add to the pan (don't overcrowd)  Fry until golden brown and then
flip to do the other side (about 3-4 minutes or so per side depending on heat)

Remove and place on paper towel to absorb any oils.  Continue this process until all
of the pieces are complete.
Lay the eggplant slices flat, add about a tablespoon of goat cheese to one small end
and top with a basil leaf. 
Roll up.

Place all of the rolls into a baking dish, cover with your favorite marinara sauce,
minced garlic and grated parm cheese, bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes
or until the cheese is melty and browning

Serve. With a slice of buttered crusty bread - because you gotta have carbs somewhere!