When I first arrived in USC, I wanted to escape from my past. All 7 years in Virginia—from the moment I started to toy with the idea of dieting, to the slow decline down the slipping slopes of Anorexia, to the horrid hospitalizations, to the pitiful stares of my neighbors and stranger—I wanted to obliterate them all.

I wanted a brand new start. I wanted to create a new image of me, a Sophia Lee that has not the slightest trace of that sickening ED-stigma on my forehead. I envisioned a fresh, blank canvas, where I would create a clean person, someone who is known for her personality, her talents, her opinions and thoughts—and not Sophia the Anorexic. I was tired of having my name on the prayer list under the “mental disorder” category. I was sick of having strangers tell me they were “praying for the ED-devil to depart” from me. I just simply…didn’t want any single soul to ever, ever find out about my ED past.

Somehow, someway, I get numbers of emails from fellow ED-sufferers, emails that cut me to the heart and make my eyes tear up with empathy and compassion.

And because of my weaknesses, I am able to understand other people’s own struggles, and sympathize with them. I know all too well that real and gripping fear of eating a simple plate of spaghetti, or stepping out of a rigid routine. I understand all too much that terrible, perpetual obsession with food, the never-ending cycle of starvation, self-hatred, self-absorption, and control.

I don’t know exactly what God has in store for me, but I do know that I will forever be surrounded by people like me. And I don’t believe it is a coincidence that I have a burning desire within me to reach out to these people and help. God, I’m here…will you heal me? Will you…use me?

Wow. Heavy words. For those of you who are just here for the food, it’s okay if you scrolled all the way down all that rambles straight to the pictures. What I said up there, is just a jumble of mixed emotions and thoughts that I just had to express in real words. But I promise there is food. And good food, too!

Now, you all know how much I adore sandwiches. Especially if it’s got good bread, as I delightfully showcased here. Well, the world has come to an end, because I am all out of bread. Tres horror!

For the filling:

• sweet potato, sliced vertically into one thick slab
• cottage cheese
• 2 thick slices of ham
• tomato, sliced

Topping:

• 2 tablespoons salsa (from Leianna)
• 2 tablespoons feta

For the “french toast”, first blend the cottage cheese, eggs, and seasonings together in a blender until smooth:
Next, dip the two eggplant slabs into the egg-cottage cheese mixture:
Let soak and set aside. Start roasting the sweet potato in the oven. About 20 minutes in a 450 degree oven. Twiddle your thumb, or you can start assembling the filling ingredients.

Once the sweet potato is roasted, let it cool for a bit. Meanwhile, grill up both eggplants in your George Foreman, until cooked through. Once cooked, start stacking up!

First, your grilled eggplant “french toast”:
Then layer some cottage cheese, sprinkle on garlic salt, pepper, whatever seasoning you wish…
And then the huge slab of sweet potato:
And then on goes the ham and tomatoes:
Finally, stack the second eggplant “french toast” on top, and top with salsa and feta cheese!

This was like whoa!! (Tee hee, Nicole!)
Have you seen anything like this? I think not! ;-p
Look at that cheese oozing out…
Hefty, big, and tasted glorious! I loved how the eggplant sort of tasted like pancakes, the meatiness of it, and all the chewy and soft textures in there!
Of course I still needed more carbs than that, so I used the remainder of the sweet potato for fries:
There is no better accompaniment than baked sweet potato fries! Sweet and savory, chewy little goodness!
I have to admit, this is quite labor-intensive though. And the eggplant “french toast” was definitely extraordinary, but…there is a reason why french toast is made with bread, because when it boils down to taste…there is nothing like bread!

Sigh. I really need to look for bread, but there is no good bread in the USC vicinity. They are all limpy, fluffy, bread-imitators. This is one instance when I actually miss my past…living walking distance to Great Harvest! T___T;;;
 
But at least it was quite an experience! I did have some of the cottage-cheese/egg batter left, so I made it into a fluffy sort of omelete/pancake:
I was a bit distracted and let it burn, but otherwise it was delicious! But nothing compared to this:
Welcome to Sophia’s Kitchen! Mimi and Kathryn, aren’t you guys glad you go to the same school as me?

Question of the day: What is your secret past? Haha, kidding! Nope, in light of today’s…rather heavy topic, today’s question is gonna be light, but not trivial…Do you freaking love carbs (That’s a rhetorical question)?!!