Eggplant Parmesan Bites

Most of my favorite foods in general fall under what I would describe as the tapas/appetizer category simply because no matter how hungry I am, just seeing a pile of food in front of me immediately turns me off.  I’d rather have a one or two-biter type of snack washed down with some favorite libations and for this reason, happy hours are one of my favorite times as it allows me to eat small bites and catch up with friends. So when I find recipes that lend itself to a cocktail hour style of food, I’m usually more prone to give it a try.

When I saw this clever twist on eggplant parmesan that I’d like to think is healthy, I quickly thought of adding it to my list of appetizers for Oscar/Award show watching nights at my place or the cocktail hour soirees that I enjoy having friends over for. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the Japanese sized eggplants in my neck of the woods so I opted for the regular size one which gave me more of a two-three biter – that’s why they look huge, but they’re absolutely delicious and very filling!

Suggestion: If you don’t have time to make your own sauce from scratch or buy the sauce choice in the recipe, I suggest using Pomi sauce. I’ve been using it for years as my go-to box sauce for when I don’t have time to make my own sauce as I don’t like to use jar sauces because of their acidity. Pomi was introduced to me by one of my Italian bosses when I was 18 years old (many moons ago) learning how to cook…, and I’m glad she told me about that particular brand, because it’s great when you doctor it up with shallots, fresh basil, garlic, salt and pepper – it tastes just like homemade with no acidity.