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Look, I know some of you have an eggplant Parmesan recipe you swear by; whether it's your own or your mama's or your noni's or a coveted recipe passed down for generations. But I'm here to tell you that this recipe is THE ONE -the holy grail of eggplant Parmesan - the GOLDEN TICKET TO EGGPLANT PARMESAN PARADISE. For real, People. FOR REAL. This was fresh, organic eggplant picked on our Annual Fall Family Day. And it will be forever the annual eggplant Parmesan recipe from here on out!!

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

3-small-to-medium-sized eggplant

grated Parmesan cheese

1 pinch sea salt

1 pinch pepper

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp cumin

4 eggs

splash of water

canola oil

shredded pizza cheese or mozzarella

1-48 oz can diced tomatoes, drained and split in two

1 can rotel, drained

Italian seasoning

1 bunch thyme

6 cloves roasted garlic, chopped fine

1 onion, chopped fine

Wash and dry your eggplant, and cut it into slices about 1-inch thick. In a bowl, take your eggs and whisk them like crazy. Add a splash of water, a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of pepper and whisk again. In another bowl, pour about two cups of grated Parmesan, and add your sea salt, pepper, and cumin and mix with a fork. In a heavy pan (I use my cast-iron, of course!), pour about an inch of canola oil and heat on medium. The oil is ready when you can put a tiny sprinkle of water in it and it sizzles. Take a slice of eggplant, dip it in the egg-mix and then the Parmesan mix. Put it in the hot oil and let cook about a minute-and-a-half on each side (until crust is hard). Do not put more than four slices at a time so that they don't steam but get good and crunchy. Place each one on a drying or cooling rack and continue to cook until all slices are done.

In the same pan the eggplant was cooked in and on medium heat, place the thyme, roasted garlic, and onion and saute for about three minutes (see notes). Remove from heat, take out the thyme sprig and discard, and set aside the onion and garlic. In a prepared baking dish, layer your cooked slices of eggplant, breaking apart a few to fit and cover the entire bottom of the dish. Your next layer is the first half of the drained diced tomatoes. Cover the tomato layer with your cheese and sprinkle Italian seasoning generously over the cheese. Next, layer half the onion and garlic mix over the Italian seasoning and cheese. Repeat layers, starting with eggplant and ending with the second half of the onion and garlic mixture, but in place of the tomatoes, layer the rotel. Repeat for the last (third) layer, using eggplant, second-half of the diced tomatoes, and a heavy layer of cheese with a sprinkle of the Italian seasoning. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let rest for five minutes. Eat it up - I will feel your love from afar!!

NOTES: I had some leftover roasted garlic from the meal the night before. You can either roast it yourself, buy it already roasted, or simply use regular garlic. I use organic ingredients whenever possible for clean eating, and in this case, I believe it helped the eggplant flavor! This is FANTASTIC for Meatless Monday AND it is low-carb, though it is so rich it sure doesn't taste like it! Wanna see it happen fast-and-on-video on Life As She Does It's YouTube channel? Click HERE

One of my love languages is cooking good food for people. Well, when my friend, Carly, and I had some work to do for Life As She Does It, I decided to repay all her sincere efforts to help me by doing just that. (That, and the fact that she and her husband, Jon, truly - I mean TRULY - want to save the world; and to do so, you need NOURISHMENT!)This casserole is loaded with chicken, the ever-so-trendy kale (which is the new orange, which is apparently the new black) and TONS of Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Since I am the low-carb girl, I kept it just that way, but in the interest of Carly NOT having an aversion to carbs, I made thyme-fried potatoes to serve under the casserole. This was rich and ridiculously delicious so it gave the impression that it was really difficult and took forever to make (hence, the name), but hang tight: you will not BELIEVE how easy and quick it was!

CHEESY CHICKEN AND KALE CASSEROLE

2 pkgs chicken breasts, cut into about 1-inch cubes

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

sea salt

pepper

1 tbs paprika

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tsp nutmeg

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 pkg frozen kale, thawed

1/2 onion, diced fine

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. While the oven is heating, heat enough evoo in a pan to cover the bottom on medium heat. Add chicken, sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and add other spices, stirring every so often until the chicken is cooked through, about three-to-four-minutes. Pour chicken into a prepared baking dish.

Pop one piece in your mouth, because you just can't help it. Mix your sour cream, mayonnaise, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl and cover the chicken. Rinse out your bowl (Yes. I am saving you from unnecesary dirty dishes later. You're welcome) squeeze any excess liquid out of the kale with your hand (Over the sink, silly!) and put in the bowl you just rinsed. Add the diced onion and stir. Since your hands already have kale all over them, use your hands to spread the kale over the chicken and sour cream-mayo-Parm mixture.

Now. (Wash your hands) Cover that sucker with the mozzarella cheese that has been screaming this entire time to join the party. Bake for twenty-to-twenty-five minutes, until that cheese has turned a beautiful brown on top. Serve over thyme fried potatoes; recipe below.

THYME-FRIED POTATOES

high-heat oil (I use canola)

potatoes, washed and sliced

1 bunch thyme

sea salt

pepper

Bundle thyme with twine or string and place in the middle of your pot (I used the pot from my chicken for the flavor) Pour oil into a heavy pot (I use my cast-iron Dutch oven, of course) up to about an inch. heat on medium-high heat. Oil is ready when the thyme starts to sizzle.

Gently place potatoes in, in a circle. Don't over-crowd your pot! Flip them after about a minute-and-a-half, and using a metal slotted spoon, take them out and place on paper towel to drain off excess oil. Sprinkle immediately with sea salt and black pepper.

Sprinkle with a little thyme and serve under the casserole or on their own. Trust me - these are NEVER left over!

EGGPLANT PARMA-PARADISE

Parma-chameleon