The inspiration for this dish comes from the recipe originally posted at Krystal’s blog, “Living the Low Carb Lifestyle.” We loved her recipe, but thought it needed maybe just a few more ingredients. Also, we prefer to bake our eggplant, as opposed to frying it. So, here is our variation on the theme.

Implements

• A large skillet (eschew non-stick and go cast iron if you can!)
• A large mixing bowl
• A large cookie sheet or baking stone
• A 13″ x 9″ baking pan, the deeper the better

Ingredients

• 2x Large Eggplants. They should be firm and ripe.
• 32oz Ricotta Cheese (Whole Milk)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (The fresher, the better)
• 2 Cups Grated Mozzarella Cheese
• 3 Large Tomatoes, thinly sliced (or, a can or two of diced tomatoes)
• 12oz Mushrooms (Sliced)
• 1 Large Onion (Diced)
• 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder (or fresh, crushed garlic)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Dried Basil
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or more, if you like)
• 40oz jar of your favorite no-sugar added pasta sauce (or use tomato sauce and your own spice blend)

The Process

• Heat the oven to 450F
• Peel the eggplants and cut them into thin (~3/16″ thick) slices.
• Coat or spray the eggplant slices with olive oil and arrange them on a cooking sheet or baking stone. Place in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• When the eggplant’s done, remove from oven and turn the temperature down to 325. You’ll want to move on to the next part while they’re baking, though.
• In a skillet, combine the ground beef, 1 tsp of the garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of the salt, and 1/2 tsp of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is fully browned.
• Set the cooked beef aside and add the mushrooms, the diced onion, 1/2 tsp of pepper and a little more olive oil to the skillet. Sautee until the onions are translucent.
• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, the eggs, the parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp of salt, the Italian seasoning, the basil and the ground beef. Mix well.
• Get a 13×9 baking dish. The deeper the sides on the dish, the better. Add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom to help prevent sticking.
• Put down a layer of the baked eggplant slices. On top of this, layer the ricotta mix. Put a layer of onion/mushroom mix. Then a layer of sauce. Repeat, starting with another layer of eggplant slices, until you’ve used up all of your ingredients.
• Arrange sliced (or diced) tomatoes over the top of the lasagna, then cover the entire top with grated mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in a 325F oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

Hope you enjoy! This is one of our favorite foods since hopping on the low-carb bandwagon. The taste is awesome. It’s like lasagna and ratatouille had a delicious baby together.

Okay, so, this is the recipe that I obtained from the infamous Jim Nicholson in a game of sabacc. Or maybe he was just drunk. Or just feeling charitable. It was this or the Millennium Falcon. I chose wisely.

Ingredients
- 1/2 lb dried chickpeas (You can use canned, but I like the way starting from dried does. Use two cans of chickpeas to equal 1/2 lb dried.)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (it must be olive and it must be extra virgin. Don’t play around here.)
- 3 tablespoons sesame tahini (some people say you can use peanut butter instead…if you try this, I’d go with a ‘raw’ peanut butter…but I haven’t tried it. YMMV.)
- Lemon juice equivalent to two lemons’ worth.
- 3-4 cloves of garlic.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (Less if you’re using canned chick peas.)
- 2 tablespoons cumin (Or more.)
- 1 teaspoon paprika (Optional.)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (Optional.)

The Process
- Soak the dried chickpeas overnight in fresh water, covering with about an inch of water.
- Pour off the water and cover them with fresh water in a suitably sized pot. Bring them to a boil on the stove and then turn the heat down and simmer until soft (you should be able to squish one between your fingers.)
- If you’re using canned chickpeas, you don’t need to soak or cook them (No, really?)
- Pour off the water from the boiled chickpeas (or the canned ones). DO NOT DISCARD…set it aside.
- Put the chickpeas into the food processor. Add the tahini, the olive oil, the lemon juice, the garlic, the spices and about a cup of the chick-pea water that you’ve reserved.
- Blend that sucker. You’ll probably have to let it go for a few minutes to get it all nice and smooth.
- Test it. If the consistency is too thick for your liking, add a little more of the chickpea water (1/4 cup at a time) and blend it some more. You might also need to add a little more salt at this point, to your own tastes.

Okay, you’re done! Get a spatula and scrape it out of the food processor and into some kind of attractive serving bowl. If you so desire, drizzle some more olive oil over the top. Get some naans or pita or chips or crackers or something. Invite your favorite white people over and enjoy!