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Helllo. :)


How are you doing?


I am swell – and really enjoying time to relax on this nice little Christmas vacation. While this may be the first time in months that my husband and I have had an extended period of time at home together, and while he sometimes makes me lose my marbles, I am thoroughly enjoying it. Our bedroom floor may be covered in 65lbs of my clothes, and I have 382 loads of my own dirty laundry to do, but I’m sure he is enjoying it just as much.



This crab stuffed eggplant is phenomenal. Remember our friend Barb, the wonderful one who gave me her restaurant recipes?? This is another one of her’s, and oh my – it sure is a tasty one.


It is also heart healthy, protein packed, and low fat. I know – where is the Jessica you know and what have I done with her? No worries – I plead temporary insanity.



I started with one giant eggplant. It took a good search in the grocery store, since all vegetables and their concurring locations have been burned from my mind.

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I sliced it in half, let it sweat a bit, then baked it for about 15 minutes before scooping out the center. What goes in the center is incredibly delightful.



The filling started with some sauteed onions in olive oil and paprika.

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And a bit of diced tomatoes and tomato paste.

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I am not even a fan of tomato sauce, and I was about to gobble this up. It smelled delectable.



I used some giant lump crabmeat – the good kind. It tastes fabulous alone and I need to handcuff myself and tape my mouth shut while cooking with it. That’s not unusual.

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Before I added the crab, I added the eggplant remnants that I scooped out.

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Into the eggplant went the crab stuffing. Topped with lots o’ cheese. C’mon – all the cool kids do it.

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I think I may have mentioned it 4 million times before, but cheese is a staple for me. Actually, it’s an addiction. My thighs are addicted to it.


But that’s neither here nor there.



I baked these puppies until the crab stuffing warmed through and my thigh stuffing the cheese melted. For someone who highly dislikes veggies and tomato sauce, I finished this off in .2 seconds.

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In fact, I’m sure as soon as my husband sees this post, he is going to wonder ‘when the heck did she make this?’


Ah, yes. The joys of being a newlywed.


I can put this up there along with my other favorite newlywed discoveries, like bed cover-stealing and bodily functions.


Yikes. Guess I should be more proper around food.



Either way, the crab stuffing is mouth-watering delicious.

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Crabmeat Stuffed Eggplant

Serves 2

2 eggplants

1 cup crabmeat

2 onions, sliced

2 teaspoons paprika

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tomatoes, peeled and sliced

1/2 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons parmesan

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons parmesan

1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

pinch of cayenne

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Trim stems from eggplant and slice them in half lengthwise. Score the cute surface with a fork, sprinkle with salt, and let stand for 15 minutes.

Rinse eggplants and pat dry with paper towels. In a skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute eggplants, cut side down, until brown. Take them out of the skillet, set on a baking sheet, and bake for 10-15 minutes until tender. Set the oven to 425.

Cook the onions in the remaining olive oil until soft. Add the paprika, tomato paste, tomatoes, oregano and cayenne. Season and cook until the mixture is think and puply.

Scoop out flesh of eggplants, reserving the shells. Add flesh to tomato mixture, and cook for 3 minutes longer. Add crabmeat and heat thoroughly.  Pile the mixture into the eggplants and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 425 for 6-7 minutes or until brown.


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Enjoy this heart healthy meal, and I’ll be sure to return tomorrow with a pound of butter and cup of sugar. However, it would be nice if my loving, adoring hubby’s bodily functions would stay in the past.