This eggplant salad is really unique and delicious. I can’t wait to experience its flavors again! I was inspired to make this salad after eating the eggplant we picked from the garden. My mom cut it into slices and coated the slices with egg whites and seasoned bread crumbs. Then, she sprayed both sides of the slices with cooking oil and baked them in the oven. We topped them with slices of homegrown tomato, and they were so fresh and delicious! I just had to put my own spin on it with the addition of basil and a crunchy, scrambled egg.
This salad is fun to make. First, scramble an egg in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, season some bread crumbs with salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper. Coat your eggplant slices first in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Spray some cooking spray on a frying pan or baking sheet, put the eggplant slices on, and spray the tops of them with more oil. You can either fry or bake the slices until they are fork tender. I fried mine.
Top your cooked eggplant slices with basil leaves and sliced tomato. Drizzle over some olive oil, then sprinkle on some of the toasted breadcrumbs that likely came loose from your eggplant in the pan or baking sheet. Your salad would be fine to eat like this, but to really amp up its flavor, scramble the egg you used to coat the eggplant slices with the rest of the toasted breadcrumbs in your pan. David suggests adding some finely chopped onion to this scramble for even more deliciousness. Sprinkle the cooked egg over the top of your salad and enjoy your hearty, crispy, and fresh appetizer!
Spread the pesto on the chicken breasts. Salmonella alert: be careful not to double dip in the pesto if your spoon touches the chicken! Layer on the tomatoes and cheese. So pretty!!
Now comes the fun part (or gross part if you dislike touching raw meat)- carefully roll up your chicken breasts so that the other ingredients are on the inside. Place the rolls in a baking dish with the chicken’s loose end on the bottom to help keep the rolls together. If you’re a big fan of toasted cheese like I am, dot the top of the breasts with more mozzarella. Oh la la!
Cover your casserole dish with tin foil, and bake it in the oven for 20 minutes. Then, remove the tin foil and continue baking the chicken for another 25 minutes until it is cooked through. Using a meat thermometer will help immensely with this determination. When your chicken is done, it will have released a lot of juices into the casserole dish; they are fabulous, so do not let them go to waste! Spoon them over then chicken rolls for extra moistness. The juices were so good and abundant, I could have turned them into a bowl of soup! Enjoy this chicken for your next fun meal.
To make pesto, drop 2 garlic cloves into a running food processor so they get finely chopped. The garlic really packs a spicy punch that makes pesto so delicious.
Then, add 2 cups of baby spinach leaves (or basil leaves if you want to make a traditional pesto) and 1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts to the food processor. I used Spanish pine nuts to 
Run the food processor until the spinach and pine nuts are finely chopped. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then, turn the food processor back on and slowly drizzle in olive oil until the pesto takes on a pestoy consistency. About 1/4 cup of olive oil should be enough, but you can adjust the amount to suit your preferences.
Put your spinach pesto into another bowl and mix in 1/4 of grated parmesan cheese. One of the benefits of spinach pesto is that it will not turn brown when it is exposed to air like basil pesto does, so there is no need to cover it with a layer of olive oil before storing it in the refrigerator. Enjoy your pesto in pasta, on sandwiches, on pizza, on chicken, alone, or any other ways you can imagine!