Recipe: Gluten Free Eggplant Cannelloni

Traditional cannelloni is made with pasta noodles, but I wanted to put a lighter spin on things and omit the pasta altogether for a naturally gluten free dish. I've mentioned before that my  husband took some convincing before he came around to enjoying eggplant, but now he's a convert! These are so easy to make, yet they look complicated and fancy. One large eggplant made 10 rolls, which is enough for my family. The recipe could easily be doubled or more. I use homemade tomato sauce, but if you're buying from a jar, one jar should be enough. Or, buy a jar of strained tomatoes, add some garlic, basil, olive oil and salt to the tomatoes in a sauce pot, and simmer until flavours are combined. A little bit of tomato paste can thicken things up.

Eggplant Cannelloni

Ingredients

1 jar tomato sauce, put aside

1 large eggplant
1 container (475g) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup good quality grated Parmesan cheese
1 bunch baby spinach, washed and stems trimmed, roughly chopped (or 1 box frozen spinach, thawed and well drained)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F


1- Thinly slice clean eggplant lengthwise (to get long strips, not rounds) and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and let stand 10 minutes. This draws out the bitter taste. Wipe off salt with a paper towel. Place eggplant in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

2- While eggplants are baking, heat tomato sauce to a simmer.  In a frying pan, sauté spinach and garlic until spinach is wilted. Turn off heat. If there is any liquid in the pan, drain it.

3- Add ricotta, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper to spinach. Stir to combine.

4- Place about 2 tablespoons of spinach and ricotta mixture on a slice of eggplant, about a quarter of the way down from the top. Roll eggplant around mixture, and secure with a toothpick. Place in a baking dish. Repeat with remaining slices. When finished, ladle tomato sauce over eggplant rolls. Top with more grated parmesan, if desired.

5- Bake for 10 minutes, or until heated through. Serve immediately or place in fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.

Gluten Free Weekly Menu Plan

This is a long weekend here in Canada, and I've been too busy supervising a sleepover and going strawberry picking to be too worried about my menu plan.  This week's menu plan is filled with simple meal ideas that don't take much effort to put together. 

Monday:  Tajaditas (Plantain Chips topped with Oil & Vinegar Coleslaw) & Mini Sweet Peppers Filled with Sautéed Ground Beef & Shredded Cheddar Cheese 












Tuesday: Stuffed Eggplant with Tomatoes
& Raisins with a Garden Salad  (RECIPE)













Wednesday:  Chicken & Vegetable Soup
(This one is easy: GF broth, leftover shredded rotisserie chicken, frozen veggies + some chopped celery. Salt & Pepper. Bring to boil. Done)










Thursday: Chicken Drumsticks & Thighs with Strawberry BBQ Sauce & Feta and Watermelon Salad  (Salad Recipe)
BBQ Sauce recipe to come this week!










Friday: Gnocchi in a Simple Tomato Sauce

Recipe: Stuffed Eggplants (Gluten & Dairy Free)

My husband used to tell me he didn't like eggplant.  He didn't like raisins either.  Then I made him this dish, and he no longer complains about either.  There are more complicated  versions of this recipe out there, but I like to keep things simple, so this is how I usually make them.   The flavour is a little bit sweet from the raisins, making it kid friendly, and it's a great way to introduce them to a vegetable that is usually a hard sell.  If you prefer, add some hot pepper or some cumin to deepen the flavour, or a squeeze of lemon juice.

Ingredients
(Serves 4, one eggplant half per person)

2 large eggplants
1 (19 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic,minced
1/2 cup raisins (large Sultana raisins are best, check to make sure they are gluten free)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste


Directions
(Oven 350F)

1-Slice eggplants in half lengthwise, and lay on paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt on cut parts, and let sit for 15 minutes.  The salt will draw out the bitterness.  Rinse eggplants and dry. 

2- Place eggplants cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for approx. 20 minutes, or until the inside flesh is cooked and soft, and can be scooped out.  Let cool until easy to handle, and scoop flesh out into a large frying pan with olive oil.  Break into small, bite sized pieces.   Leave skins aside for stuffing.

3- Add tomatoes, garlic, onion, cinnamon and raisins.  Cook over medium heat until onion is cooked and mixture has thickened, approx. 5-10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper. 

4- Fill eggplant skins with mixture and serve. 

If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate.  Heat in a 350F oven until warmed through to serve.