Farmer's Market and Italian Eggplant and Mushroom Casserole

I love Farmer's Market! You meet some really cool people. This is Bob. Bob sells organic produce at Farmer's Markets in Central Illinois that he grows himself and, along with these items on this particular day,

he also had eggplant. I bought that from him along with Swiss chard (both VERY reasonably priced) went to the neighboring booth, bought a watermelon and went about my merry way with my edible treasures. I cooked the Swiss chard for supper that evening along with burgers on the grill, had the watermelon for dessert and the next day made Italian Eggplant and Mushroom Casserole.

I don't bread and fry the eggplant. It's messy, I don't want the breadcrumbs (processed, I don't eat bread unless I make it myself) and...it's messy. So for this particular casserole (you gotta like...er, make that LOVE eggplant because this is really eggplanty), here is the recipe I used -

1 large (not enormous, but large) firm eggplant peeled and cut into smallish chunks (like 1 1/2" by 1 1/2")

4 ounces of sliced mushrooms (whatever kind you like. I used baby portabella for this one because that's what I had)

1 pint (or 2 cups) of marinara

4 ounces of mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Layer the eggplant and mushrooms in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Pour the marinara over it and cheese it up! as in layer the cheeses. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. If you want it a little browner (I did) put it under a low broiler for about 5 minutes or until it's as brown as you want it. Serve it with organic garlic bread or garlic biscuits. It's not bad! And, it's from the earth!!

Real Food Means Real Food

I'm not going to vilify meat. If you can look back and remember what your great grandparents ate, unless they were definite vegetarians, they ate meat. HOWEVER, I do believe it needs to be grass fed  and locally grown. Meat raised in confinement operations is not only cruel but it's loaded with antibiotics,  growth hormones and possibly is connected to Alzheimer's. Real food means meat raised the way it was intended to be raised as a respected creature of the earth. Not locked up in some confinement and fed feed that it would never eat in its natural environment

So, recipe here...grass fed ribeye marinated in garlic, soy sauce (or liquid aminos) and Worcestershire sauce (3 parts soy (or aminos) to 1 part Worcestershire and a huge tablespoon of minced garlic and black pepper. Grill to your liking. Serve with whatever your garden or local farmers market or grocer has available. Tonight here was grilled potatoes with peppers and onions, locally grown green beans and tomatoes. REAL FOOD and only from the earth. Guarantees that the nutrition level is there and will help remove junk food cravings.