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Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe.

A nice, summery meal that can also be eaten in cooler months. You can make this in a grill pan or on an outdoor grill.  This is much lighter and lower carb than the breaded and fried version.

Serves: 4 as light meal or 2 as a large one.

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 3 – 4 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
• sea salt to taste
• 1/3 cup chopped mushrooms (or olives- optional)
• ½ tsp of chili flakes (or to taste. I used a very light dusting and left it to the heat lovers to add more)
• 1/4 cup finely shredded basil
• 6 ounces Fontina cheese, grated
• Thinly sliced crusty bread, for serving. Limit yourself to one regular sized piece (Z3.5) or eat with no bread (Z3). To make the bread lower carb, brush it with olive oil and grill or broil. Or use butter. That works, too.
• 1/4 cup of shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450° and heat a grill pan or your backyard grill. Spray the eggplant and tomato slices with olive oil and season lightly with salt. Grill the eggplant over moderately high heat, turning once, until softened and lightly browned or lightly charred, about 4 minutes per side. Grill the tomatoes, turning once, until lightly charred but still intact, about 2 minutes per side. Keep an eye on them. They go from lightly browned to overdone very easily; especially on the grill.

In a bowl, combine the mushrooms (or olives), chili flakes and shredded basil. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In the center, arrange half of the eggplant in a 9-inch square, overlapping the slices slightly. Top with half of the grilled tomatoes, mushroom mixture and Fontina. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, ending with the cheese.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes, until bubbling and golden. Let stand for 10 minutes. Slice with a pizza cutter. Garnish with basil shreds and Parmesan cheese. Serve with optional crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Cheers,