By Keri Glassman, MS, RD
I’m sure you have heard me rave about antioxidants plenty of times, and this dish gives me yet another reason to do so.
With eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, the recipe is bursting with the health-inducing nutrients. Within the eggplant's glossy skin lies a compound called nasunin that promotes free-radicals and helps prevent disease.
This “beefy” veg also contains chlorogenic acid which has anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-LDL properties.
Adding more color and crunch to this dish is the green pepper. With their rich source of carotenoids, peppers have the signature antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties I love.
Lycopene, the phytonutrient found in tomatoes, protects our cells from damaging free radicals. The availability of lycopene increases when cooked at high temperatures, which means we absorb more of it from the canned variety.
INGREDIENTS
• 2 medium eggplants, sliced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 medium green peppers, sliced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup parsley, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ cup tomato sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Time: 70 minutes
Serves: 4
1. Sauté eggplant slices in olive oil, and remove eggplant.
2. Sauté peppers and onion until tender.
3. Arrange in layers: eggplant, peppers, onions, tomatoes, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in an 8 inch square casserole. Repeat layers.
4. Pour tomato sauce over vegetables.
5. Bake at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes uncovered.
Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN, is the founder and president of Keri Glassman, Nutritious Life, a nutrition practice based in New York City, and Nutritious Life Meals, a gourmet, healthy, daily diet delivery program available across the U.S. She is a member of Women's Health Magazine's advisory board and has two columns, Flat Belly Day and Lighten Up, in every issue. She has authored three books: Slim Calm Sexy Diet, The O2 Diet, and The Snack Factor Diet and her expertise is regularly featured on national television shows such as the Today show, Good Morning America, and Access Hollywood Live, among many others. She hosts the series "A Little Bit Better" on Youtube's Livestrong Woman channel and is a prolific writer and commentator with contributions to numerous publications and websites nationwide. Read more of Keri's tips every day: Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
