A delicious side, with a carbohydrate-free option.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs (*or crumbled pork rinds for a carbohydrate-free version, see note below)
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 medium eggplant
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 ½ cups canned tomato sauce
½ cup part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside
2. Combine breadcrumbs (or pork rinds), parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in a medium sized bowl; set aside
3. Remove skin from eggplant and trim off ends; slice eggplant into ½ inch-thick slices.
4. Dip eggplant first into egg whites and then into bread crumb mixture. Bake eggplant on a nonstick cookie sheet until lightly browned, about 20 – 25 minutes, flipping once.
5. Place a layer of eggplant on bottom of prepared baking dish then add 1/3 of tomato sauce and 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with 2 more layers in same order. Bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, about 10 minutes more.
6. Slice into 4 pieces and serve.

*Pork rinds can be found in stores in the snack food section. Place pork rinds in a blender and pulse until they resemble fine bread crumbs.

Allowance

 Makes 4 servings; count each serving as 1 protein, ½ carb (if using bread crumbs) or ½ fat (if using pork rinds).