Air Fried Egg Plant With BBQ Dipping Sauce
We got an new air fryer a few weeks ago. I've been trying it out. It's pretty versatile. Its actually an air fryer toaster oven made by Cuisinart. So far, its been great for air fried potato wedges, but that was all I was using it for until yesterday when I burned a butternut squash casserole. Today I got right back up on that horse, turned the temperature down about 50 degrees lower than the included recipe book recommended and made some air fried eggplant fingers. My recipes are all whole food plant based with unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients and no oil.
Why no oil? All cooking oils are processed foods with essentially no nutritional value and 120 calories per table spoon. I'm working hard to keep my weight under control and 120 calories per tablespoon adds up quickly. Eight years ago I weighed 284lbs, went on a conventional diet and lost 10lbs over the period of a year. It was a yo-yo year with ups and downs but the net loss over that year was only 10lbs. Seven years ago I learned about the whole foods plant based no oil lifestyle and that year I lost 80lbs. By the middle of the 2nd year I'd lost a total of 110lbs and now, seven years later and in the middle of a pandemic, I'm still down 110lbs. I'm not counting calories, protein, carbs, fats, micro or macro nutrients either. I'm eating more food more often that I used to and the weight is staying put as long as I stay away from all animal products and all processed oils. I get my essential fatty acids from whole foods, like milled flaxseeds, chia seeds, a couple of walnuts or a palmful of raw sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Occasionally about 1/5th to 1/3rd of an avocado gets included in a salad and that's about it for the unprocessed whole foods that contain significant oil. It also helps to know that processed oils damage your circulatory system by irritating the endothelial lining of every blood vessel in your body including those in your heart and your brain. That single cell thick lining produces a vasodilator known as Nitric Oxide (NO) that relaxes your blood vessels, dilates them and lowers your blood pressure. By loosing weight and eliminating oils my BP went from 140/90 seven years ago to 108/68 now with no medication. So say "NO" to oils!
RECIPE
1 Medium size eggplant
3 Flax eggs (3T milled flaxseeds and 9 T water. Combine and let it sit for 15 minutes)
3T Nutritional yeast
6 T Flour (I used corn flour, but only because it was looking at me sadly saying "Pick Me!")
1/2 t Garlic salt
1 t Ground mustard seeds
2 t Garam Masala
... really any seasoning of your choice
Pre-Heat your Air Fryer at 350F or your oven at 400F.
Make the flax egg mixture per the above directions and set aside.
Mix together all the dry ingredients.
Slice the eggplant into approximately 0.5 x 0.5 x 6 inch pieces.
Dip the slices into the flax egg and then coat them with the dry ingredients.
Place them in a single layer in your air fryer on parchment paper or bake them in your oven on a parchment paper lined pan.
Cook for 10 minutes in the air fryer or until they begin to brown in the regular oven. Flip them and cook for 10 more minutes or until they darken. Serve hot with catsup or your favorite dipping sauce.
