Diane Curtiss gave husband Gregg a true gift of love a few years ago when she donated a kidney to him.
“We love growing our own food and are especially fond of heirloom tomatoes,” says Gregg Curtiss of Springfield, Illinois. Both he and his wife Diane have green thumbs and also enjoy growing prize-winning orchids. They are currently enjoying the bounty of the harvest season in delicious dishes such as Baked Eggplant Slices.
“We are extremely conscious of what we eat,” adds Gregg. He received a kidney transplant from his wife a few years ago and notes that he and Diane are making a serious effort to improve their health and fitness. “That is where herbs and spices come in. Salt is something that I need to avoid. Herbs and spices are a way of making food taste good without the unwanted salt.
“As far as our favorite spices, we have tried just about all of the Penzeys no-salt blends and they have all been good. The single spices we use most are the Vietnamese cinnamon (great in morning oatmeal!), ancho chili powder (for grilling), granulated onion and garlic, and thyme (which seems to go with everything!).”
Looking for an easy, delicious side dish? Try this great recipe from Diane.
Preheat oven to 375°. Mix together the cracker crumbs, cheese and PARSLEY and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, ONION POWDER and GRANULATED GARLIC POWDER. Coat each side of the eggplant slices with a thin layer of the mayonnaise mixture. Then, dip the slices into the cracker crumb mixture and coat both sides. Place on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 375° until golden, 20-25 minutes. Use a spatula to move to individual serving plates, cool about 5 minutes, enjoy!
Prep. time: 15 minutesNutritional Information: Serving Size 1 slice (70g); Calories 80; Calories from fat 30; Total fat 3.5g; Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 170mg; Carbohydrate 10g; Dietary Fiber 2g.
