Eggplant Parmesan with Peppers & Mushrooms

This is my made-up take on eggplant parmesan. I made it last night when my parents came over to watch Sherlock. My mom's diabetic, so I skipped the breading. It can be a healthy dish?just use olive oil cooking spray?it works great. I ended up cooking half the eggplant with cooking spray and half with olive oil, because I ran out of cooking spray. Adjust amounts and vegetables to suit your tastes!



Eggplant Parmesan with Peppers & Mushrooms



Ingredients

2 eggplants, cut into 1/2" slices or planks

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 c canned sweet peppers (roasted or fried)or about 3 fresh red or yellow peppers (you could use another vegetable if you aren't a fan of peppers?strips of zucchini would be delicious)

1 1/4 cup lowfat cottage cheese (or you could try part-skim ricotta)

1-2 c mushroom pieces

dash of garlic powder

dash of dried basil

pinch of red pepper flakes

2-3 c mozzarella cheese (adjust this to taste, and reduce the amount for  healthier dish)



Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Spread a small amount of the sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Salt the eggplant spices and leave them to drain (on a towel or in a colander) for about 1/2 an hour.





Rinse them thoroughly, and sauté them in olive oil until lightly browned on both sides.





Put a single layer of eggplant slices in the baking dish. Put a generous dollop of cottage cheese on each slice. Add a layer of peppers. Sprinkle with garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes. Spoon half of the remaining tomato sauce over the layers, and sprinkle a little of the cheese.





Add another layer of eggplant and sprinkle with the raw mushroom pieces. Top with the rest of the sauce, then the rest of the cheese.





Cover the baking dish with foil and cook about 30 minutes (it should be bubbly around the edges. Remove the foil and broil on high until the cheese starts to brown. Let cool on a baking rack for about ten minutes. Good served with a fresh salad.