CHEESY LASAGNA WITHOUT THE GUILT

        I love lasagna, come to think about, who doesn't? It has everything we crave cheese, pasta, sauce, sometimes the trifecta of meat(pork, veal, and beef). On the other hand,  Putting in 10 to 12 hours of training a week, I don't want to see it spoiled by a 900 calorie slice of lasagna. If your in the same boat as me or simply want to try a different recipe for this classic dish, your in luck. This is like a cross between eggplant parmesan and lasagna. Well, I just checked it and it looks delicious. Leaving the pasta and meat out we can go all out on the cheese and feel good about it. The recipe still has a good bit of fat, but fat is not as bad as most think, it is it is an important part of our diet so take comfort in that. If the amount of fat makes you uncomfortable, You could use 2% mozzarella  and leave out the goat cheese. I personally love good cheese so I went all out.  I hope you enjoy this, and please leave me feedback on how it turns out. Of course questions are welcome and encouraged.

Eggplant lasagna
Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 eggplant(roasted)
2 zucchini(roasted)
10 spears asparagus(roasted)
2 cups tomato sauce(see recipe or use your favorite jar)
1 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
2/3 cup parmesan cheese(grated or shredded)
4 oz goat cheese
1 ball of fresh mozzarella

Directions:
Trim the ends off the eggplant and cut it in half cross ways, then slice in 1/4 inch slices. Toss with 3 table spoons salt and then lay out on a cooling rack set on a cookie tray, place another cookie tray on top of eggplant and weigh down with  cans or bags of flour. Let this sit for an hour. This step removes the bitterness that eggplant has. While the eggplant sits mix the parm, ricotta, and goat cheese, set aside. Slice the zucchini the same as the eggplant. Now rinse the eggplant and pat dry. Place the eggplant and zucchini on a sheet tray and spray with olive oil pan spray and season, roast in a 400 degree oven until slightly browned (about 20 minutes). do the same for the asparagus on a separate tray (only cook the asparagus until it is bright green and tender).  Put a couple spoons of sauce on the bottom of an 8" by 8" lay out slices of eggplant, zucchini and asparagus to cover the bottom. Top with sauce and cheese mixture then repeat until all is used and the pan is full to the top. Slice the mozzarella into 7 or 8 slices and put on top. Place in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the top is nice and bubbly brown. I like to let my lasagna sit for about 20 min to settle because it makes slicing way easier.  Slice into 6 pieces and serve with a salad.

Nutrition Facts cookrunbeer eggplant lasagna
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	313
Total Fat	18.9g
Saturated Fat	11.3g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	58mg
Sodium	254mg
Carbohydrate	17.9g
Dietary Fiber	6.3g
Sugars	6.6g
Protein	1.7g
Vitamin A 20% Vitamin C 26% Calcium    35% Iron 8%

Tomato sauce
Yields 6 cups
Ingredients:
1 onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can tomato puree
1-12 oz can tomato paste
 4 sprigs oregano
3 cups water

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a pot and saute the sliced onions about4 minutes, add the tomato past and reduce the Heat to low. Cook the paste for about 5 min to caramelize and develop a sweetness in the tomato. Add the puree, water, and oregano and cook about 30 minutes or until the acidity is reduced and the sauce is thick and rich. You could omit the olive oil to cut the fat to 0g. just cook the tomato paste with a little water to the same state then add everything at once and cook as directed.