TESTIMONY OF THE DAY
Another wonderful testimonial posted on my new Forum.
“I found Maria Emmerich Blog and books in 2012. I was hooked! I signed up for Maria’s Email Support and Nutrition Planning package mid-February 2013. Best investment I ever made! She helped me every step of the way to get things started and she really cares about you!
I started in March and in the first 7 days, I dropped 16 pounds! I was shocked! Within the first month, I dropped 23 pounds; my skin had cleared up and was looking great. I noticed my hair had stopped falling out, no more hair filled brushes! All my body pain/aches were gone and my mood swings had stabilized! I felt normal for the first time in my life!
By June 7th I reached my first goal of 50 pounds lost which was reached 5 weeks and 2 days before the deadline I set for this goal! And I did it without exercise. I feel great and I am ready for my next goal: 66 pounds, start exercising, and able to jog a 5k by Christmas!
It has been a real learning process and I have had my ups and downs but I know Maria will always be there for me. I have learned so much and still growing. I am one of those people that have to learn everything the hard way. I now know what slows and stops my weight loss. Maria told me it would happen if I ate this or that but I had to eat it and learn it for myself. I guess that’s just how I roll! Maria has been a real blessing in my life.
Started 315 pounds
as of July 7th 265 pounds”
Way to go Teresa!! Keep up the great work!
If you or someone you know is interested in getting on the right path, please email me for a consult. I would be honored to help! Click HERE to get started!
Margarita Dermatitis
As crazy as that word sounds, it is a real definition! I have this. It isn’t from my excessive margarita consumption;) haha! (I don’t drink). It can happen when you get citrus such as lemon on your skin combined with sun exposure. What is scary about this is that I was using homemade organic products when this happened!
To learn more about what to put on your skin, I have videos on not only how to stock your kitchen pantry, but how to stock your bathroom too. Everything you put on your skin gets absorbed by your liver. A tired and toxic liver affects our moods and how effectively you lose weight. One client of mine changed the estrogenic soaps and cleansers she was using and her liver enzymes went from high to normal!
To sign up for a fun tutorial click HERE to get started on the right path!
It also includes a detailed shopping pantry list and website links where I find my favorite foods, treats, and products for a great price as well as other cooking tutorial videos. A very detailed exercise regime is also included.
I prepared this one Sunday afternoon and froze it before baking it. The other day, I knew I was going to be too busy to prepare a meal when I got home, so I took the frozen Moussaka out of the freezer and placed it in my oven on a “delay timer.” I had the Moussaka finish baking about 30 minutes before dinner so it could “set”…most people cut lasagna and such too early, which will make it runny. If you like Greek food, you will love this!
MOUSSAKA
EGGPLANT LAYER:
3 large eggplants
Pinch of Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Coconut oil or butter
MEAT LAYER:
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lemon, sliced in thin circles
1 handful fresh oregano leaves, chopped
2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb or grass-fed beef
2 cups finely chopped mushrooms
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 (16-ounce) Tomato Sauce
CHEESE SAUCE:
4 TBS Butter
1/2 cup beef broth
2 eggs, separated
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 to 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
Pinch of nutmeg
To prepare the eggplants: Cut off the stems, remove the skin with a vegetable peeler, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Season all the pieces of eggplant with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat a large skillet with oil and heat over medium flame. Fry the eggplant in a single layer, turning once, until brown on both sides. Drain the eggplant as they cook on a paper towel-lined platter. OR Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices, lay on a greased cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until soft.
Meat Layer: Add a little more oil to the pan and toss in the onion, garlic, lemon slices, oregano, and parsley. Cook and stir until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the ground lamb and mushrooms (this will “lighten” the dish) stirring to break up the meat; season with salt and pepper, and toss in the cinnamon stick. Stir in the tomato sauce. Simmer until the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
In a saucepan, combine 4 TBS butter and broth; cook over low heat. Beat egg yolks, and combine with cheese and nutmeg; add to saucepan. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into sauce.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with 1/3 of the eggplant slices; they should completely cover the bottom. Spread 1/2 of the meat sauce over the eggplant, evening it out with a spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Repeat the layers again, ending with a final layer of eggplant. Cover the top with a nice even layer of Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving) =
Traditional Moussaka = 416 calories, 24g fat, 13g protein, 37g carbs, 9g fiber (28g effective carbs)
“Healthified” Moussaka = 421 calories, 23.3g fat, 37.6g protein, 16.9g carbs, 7.5g fiber (9.4g effective carbs)
This dish is so good! my family begs for me to make this. It is a bit time consuming, but worth the trouble. Make a double batch and freeze one….so worth it 🙂
Thank you! Glad you liked it. 🙂
Wow this is a labor intensive dish, but it smells really good. I have it in the oven right now. I kind of messed up and mixed the cheese and meat mixture together before putting it on top of the eggplants. Hopefully, it will still taste good 🙂
I am glad it makes a huge portion b/c I will freeze the rest of it in individual portions for quick meals.
OMG this recipe is amazing. It is so worth the time it took to make it. The flavor is so rich. Thank you for another awesome recipe.
Thanks!
Hi Maria,
This recipe sounds great! I can’t wait to try it.
I also have a recipe from a friend for her famous lasagna. I was planning on using grilled zucchini in place of noodles. I was unsure of which substitute flour to use for the Bechamel sauce. She uses 3T flour and I was wondering which flour you would recommend. In my home I always have on hand, garbanzo, almond and coconut flour. Her sauce also uses shredded parm, ricotta, whole milk, butter, chicken broth, baby portobello mushrooms, parsley, basil, salt, and garlic. Any suggestions?
Thanks again for your amazing blog and books! I’m in the process of collecting all of your books!
Heather 😉
Thanks! I would sub a small amount of psyllium for the sauce. It works great as a thickener. Then just sub the milk for almond or coconut milk. 🙂
I am really looking forward to making this. I didn’t have Contadina Thick and Zesty Tomato Sauce so I looked up what was in it and found: Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Citric Acid, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Red Pepper, Oregano were the ingredients. I know Modified Corn Starch is something I’m not suppose to have per Dr. Davis so I saw that as a red flag. What’s your thoughts on that? The cans are now 15 oz. also. Do you think I could make my own? … I have a 12 oz can of tomato paste, 4 oz. of water (wasn’t sure if this would be too thick and should have a lower ratio of paste with more water?), 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp oregano. What do you think about the quantity of these ingredients; do they need to be adjusted? I saw your note above about psyllium about thickeners in the sauce. How much would you think I should add for this amount of sauce?
THANK YOU so much for all your WONDERFUL recipes which is helping us to eat healthy in such a delicious way … in fact, I think we are enjoying food even more than ever, and I wouldn’t think that was possible. I tell so many people about you and you website because you have been so helpful to me and my family.
Any suggestions you can make will help me so much!
Brenda 😉
Thank you! Yes, you can make your own sauce and that is a great option. If not, Contadina is one of the better options. If you can find an organic (in glass jar) sauce, that is even better. 🙂
I meant to ask about the cinnamon stick … Don’t have this either, but was wondering if dry cinnamon powder could be substituted and if so how much? Do the oregano leaves and parsley have to be fresh or would dried work as well? If dried would work, what quantity?
THANKS AGAIN! You are Mrs. Wonderful!
Brenda 😉
Dry will work and the same amount should be fine. For the cinnamon, I would just use a little to taste. The powder will be stronger that soaking a stick. 🙂
I wanted to let you know that the Moussaka was delicious! I was able to get cinnamon stick and it was delicious and did buy the fresh herbs…decided to make it close to yours as possible. I keep blowing my family. friends and even myself away with your delicious recipes.
I did have a question: My cheese mixture wasn’t as thick as your picture … I may have done some things wrong so could you verify the best way of making because I’m sure I’m making this recipe again.
I beat the egg yolks a little but didn’t beat a long time … they were fluffed up a little but not like when I made peanut butter ice cream, btw delicious…would love to find something chocolate to mix or top it with. When it said to combine with the cheese, I added 8 oz feta cheese that was crumbled and 2 cups of shredded parmesan (I used additional parmesan for the topping), I mixed with my hand mixer until all was combined. Then I added this thick cheese mixture to the saucepan, not sure if I was to remove from heat but I did do that, and I mixed with mixer all this with the broth and butter. I beat my egg whites with hand mixer until still and they were very stiff. Folding the egg whites into the cheese sauce was a bit challenging for me and didn’t combine easily. This mixture was kind of thin and barely enough to cover the entire 9X13 but felt I had accomplished it. Yours looks thicker … barely could see mine after cooking (didn’t poof up at all). It still was delicious though. I imagine one of those steps I did wasn’t right. Could you please comment and give me suggestions.
Also, do you know where you can get a taller (thicker) 9X13 glass casserole. I have plenty of thinner types and aluminum thicker/9X13 cake pan which would work but not sure if the aluminum would be good to use with a tomato recipe? Any ideas.
Thanks for making getting healthier fun and delicious! I will be checking back for you comments and will update my recipe that I have typed to keep handy. Brenda
It sounds like you did it right. Maybe your eggplants weren’t as big as mine. 🙂
Wow, can’t wait to try this tonight! However my kids and I are not fans of mushrooms. Can we substitute with something else? Thanks!
You can just skip them if you like. 🙂
This is amazing!
Thanks!
Great idea! The hubby will love this. Thanks!
Thanks!
Amazing!!! My family loved it! Reminded us of our favorite dish we had in Greece!!! Thanks Maria🙂
Thanks so much!
I have two large eggplants just waiting for me to do something with them. This recipe came up at the right time. I’m going to give it a try.
Awesome!!!
My god this looks divine!
Thank you!!!
I just made this and it smells and tastes amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it will become a staple in our house.
Awesome!!!
You totally made my day!!!
A question about the lemon slices. Should they be removed from the sauce once it’s done cooking? I worry that biting into a lemon slice won’t be pleasant. Thank you!
Yep. Remove and discard;)
Thank you 🙂