I already have a recipe for roasted eggplant on this blog, but this recipe is substantially different. It's very easy, but takes a lot of inactive prep time so be sure to plan ahead. I thought it was absolutely delish and had it for lunch, but the boys refused to even try it. Fine, that's more for me. :o)
1 large eggplant
2 T. olive oil
1 t. Thyme (more or less according to preference)
1/2 t. granulated garlic
1/2 t. Real Salt (plus more salt for prepping the eggplant)
1 T. Earth Balance or other non-dairy butter
2 T. non-dairy sour cream
Wash and dry eggplant. Trim stem and end. Cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half in thirds lengthwise, then cut into thin slices. Depending on the size of your eggplant, you may need to make more or fewer slices.
Place eggplant into a colander or strainer. Sprinkle with enough salt to lightly cover all the pieces, tossing to combine. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse well and continue with recipe.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine eggplant, thyme, garlic and Real Salt in a large bowl. Toss eggplant until all pieces are completely coated with the olive oil and seasoning. Coat a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread eggplant evenly in the dish.
Bake for a total of 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Eggplant is done cooking when it is darker in color and soft. Add non-dairy cream and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
Makes 2 main dish servings or 4 side dish servings.
Showing posts with label Eggplant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eggplant. Show all posts
Saturday, March 19
Wednesday, October 20
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
It's Utah, it's autumn, and everyone has an abundance of tomatoes. It's nearly impossible to give tomatoes away, so when Mom sent me home with five grocery sacks full of these little babies, it was time to get cooking. This recipe is super easy, but allow some time to simmer - the longer it simmers the yummier it will be. My oldest raved about it being the best spaghetti sauce he's ever tasted. I suspect it would work marvelously in a slow cooker, but I haven't tested that yet. :o)
Olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
18 small roma tomatoes*
1 T. basil (more or less to taste)
1 T. oregano (more or less to taste)
1 t. Real Salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 t. cumin (more or less to taste)
2 bay leaves
Heat a small amount of olive oil in a very large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until starting to brown. Meanwhile, prepare tomatoes.
Cut each tomato in half or quarters, depending on the size. Place tomatoes, all at once, in blender (I hope you have a Blend Tec or similar high powered blender, but if you don't, any blender will work). Use "Whole Juice" cycle if using a Blend Tec, or high speed in a regular blender. Tomatoes should be completely pureed. Once pureed, add all at once to hot pan with onions and garlic.
Add basil, oregano, salt and cumin, stirring to combine. Add bay leaves. It will not be very tasty at this point, and it has kind of a pink hue, but be patient. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat. Sauce will darken and thicken as it cooks. Cook at least 30 minutes, but longer if you have time, stirring and adding more seasonings as necessary.
Serve over cooked whole wheat pasta or thinly sliced vegetables - I like zucchini from the Spiralizer. Sauce can be made ahead in larger quantities, if desired. I don't usually have fresh herbs on hand (I tend to kill stuff like that), but fresh herbs would be exponentially delicious.
*Note: Feel free to substitute any kind of tomato. My romas were quite small so I had to use more than would be used for supermarket-sized tomatoes. The tomatoes filled a 1 quart blender almost to the top.
Variations: Spaghetti sauce is a great opportunity to sneak in extra veggies that picky eaters don't seem to mind. Thinly dice or slice carrots, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, bell pepper, spinach or pretty much anything else and cook in the sauce until tender. Yum! :o)
Olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
18 small roma tomatoes*
1 T. basil (more or less to taste)
1 T. oregano (more or less to taste)
1 t. Real Salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 t. cumin (more or less to taste)
2 bay leaves
Heat a small amount of olive oil in a very large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until starting to brown. Meanwhile, prepare tomatoes.
Cut each tomato in half or quarters, depending on the size. Place tomatoes, all at once, in blender (I hope you have a Blend Tec or similar high powered blender, but if you don't, any blender will work). Use "Whole Juice" cycle if using a Blend Tec, or high speed in a regular blender. Tomatoes should be completely pureed. Once pureed, add all at once to hot pan with onions and garlic.
Add basil, oregano, salt and cumin, stirring to combine. Add bay leaves. It will not be very tasty at this point, and it has kind of a pink hue, but be patient. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat. Sauce will darken and thicken as it cooks. Cook at least 30 minutes, but longer if you have time, stirring and adding more seasonings as necessary.
Serve over cooked whole wheat pasta or thinly sliced vegetables - I like zucchini from the Spiralizer. Sauce can be made ahead in larger quantities, if desired. I don't usually have fresh herbs on hand (I tend to kill stuff like that), but fresh herbs would be exponentially delicious.
*Note: Feel free to substitute any kind of tomato. My romas were quite small so I had to use more than would be used for supermarket-sized tomatoes. The tomatoes filled a 1 quart blender almost to the top.
Variations: Spaghetti sauce is a great opportunity to sneak in extra veggies that picky eaters don't seem to mind. Thinly dice or slice carrots, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, bell pepper, spinach or pretty much anything else and cook in the sauce until tender. Yum! :o)
Friday, October 15
Roasted Eggplant with Cream Sauce
I had to make a deal with the boys that they would get ice cream if they ate it, but they ended up liking it anyway! There's something about the word "eggplant" that makes them balk, but they usually end up enjoying the recipes. I would definitely make this again, but I think I overdid it on the nutritional yeast in the sauce. The recipe for the sauce is with the scaled down amount, but feel free to adjust it if necessary.
2 small eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
2 egg replacers (like EnerG)
1 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1 12 oz. package firm silken tofu
2 T. dried onion flakes
2 t. garlic powder
1 t. Real Salt
2 T. nutritional yeast
1 T. white or yellow miso paste
Non-dairy milk as needed
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or lightly coat with olive oil. Put breadcrumbs in a 1 gallon plastic bag or pour onto a large dinner plate or similar dish (the bag is much easier). Dip 1/2 eggplant slices in egg mixture, then toss in breadcrumbs. Spread out evenly in baking dish. Repeat with the second half of the eggplant slices. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until eggplant is cooked through, turning eggplant over halfway through baking.
While eggplant is baking, prepare sauce. Put remaining ingredients except non-dairy milk into a blender. Begin processing on slow, adding non-dairy milk a little at a time as needed until a pourable consistency forms. Because we are using dried onion flakes, I recommend blending for at least a minute to incorporate the onion flakes. If you prefer, you can substitute onion powder for the onion flakes (onion flakes are just what I had on hand).
When eggplant is roasted, pour sauce evenly over eggplant slices and place back in oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until sauce is heated through. Watch closely to prevent burning. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving, as sauce will be very hot.
Variation: If you prefer, substitute 1 1/2 cups white beans for the tofu. It will be necessary to add additional liquid this way, which can either be additional non-dairy milk, vegetable broth, or water. This will increase the protein and fiber content. Yum! :o)
2 small eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
2 egg replacers (like EnerG)
1 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1 12 oz. package firm silken tofu
2 T. dried onion flakes
2 t. garlic powder
1 t. Real Salt
2 T. nutritional yeast
1 T. white or yellow miso paste
Non-dairy milk as needed
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or lightly coat with olive oil. Put breadcrumbs in a 1 gallon plastic bag or pour onto a large dinner plate or similar dish (the bag is much easier). Dip 1/2 eggplant slices in egg mixture, then toss in breadcrumbs. Spread out evenly in baking dish. Repeat with the second half of the eggplant slices. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until eggplant is cooked through, turning eggplant over halfway through baking.
While eggplant is baking, prepare sauce. Put remaining ingredients except non-dairy milk into a blender. Begin processing on slow, adding non-dairy milk a little at a time as needed until a pourable consistency forms. Because we are using dried onion flakes, I recommend blending for at least a minute to incorporate the onion flakes. If you prefer, you can substitute onion powder for the onion flakes (onion flakes are just what I had on hand).
When eggplant is roasted, pour sauce evenly over eggplant slices and place back in oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until sauce is heated through. Watch closely to prevent burning. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving, as sauce will be very hot.
Variation: If you prefer, substitute 1 1/2 cups white beans for the tofu. It will be necessary to add additional liquid this way, which can either be additional non-dairy milk, vegetable broth, or water. This will increase the protein and fiber content. Yum! :o)
Friday, October 8
Oven Roasted Veggies
This was seriously so yum. I left the skin on the eggplant, which my son didn't particularly care for, but other than that it got rave reviews. I made my own Vegan Mayo, but feel free to use Veganaise or any other vegan mayo you have on hand if you prefer.
1 c. dry brown rice
2 very small or 1 medium eggplant
1 white or yellow onion
6 Roma tomatoes
8-10 baby portabello mushrooms or 1 large portabello mushroom
Olive oil
Basil
Thyme
Oregano
Real Salt
1/2 c. veggie broth
4-6 T. Vegan Mayo (if you want homemade the recipe will follow)
Grease a 13x9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fill a large sauce pan halfway with hot water (a minimum of 3 cups) and bring to a boil over high heat. Add rice, return to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes or until rice is tender. Meanwhile, proceed with recipe.
Cut eggplant into cubes (peel before cutting if desired - I like it better with the skin on). Halve onion and slice into half-moon rings. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise, then into three sections the other direction. Remove stems from mushrooms and slice (if using a large portabello cut into cubes).
Place all vegetables in baking dish. I deliberately left out measurements for the spices because I figure individual tastes will vary so much. Season with basil, oregano, thyme and salt according to preference. Toss veggies if desired, but this is not necessary. Drizzle with olive oil and pour veggie broth into baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until highly aromatic. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until all vegetables are very tender.
Let stand while making Vegan Mayo (if doing so). Combine 1 12 oz package extra firm silken tofu, 1 1/2 T. ground mustard, 1 T. Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 T. Lemon Juice, and 1 t. Real Salt. Blend in a blender, food processor, or with a hand blender (the hand blender is easiest). Add additional seasonings if necessary. You could also add a little Bragg's Liquid Aminos or Nutritional Yeast if desired.
Add 4 to 6 T. Vegan Mayo to vegetable mixture, stirring to combine. If you have chosen to make your Mayo, the remainder will keep in the refrigerator for several days.
When rice is finished cooking, drain water and return to pan. Serve vegetables over the rice. Makes about 6 servings (for hungry teenage boys).
Note: I prefer to make things like sour "cream" and Vegan Mayo for the simple fact that it costs less to make it from scratch. For example, the Vegan Mayo I describe here costs no more than $1.75 (and that's if I can't find the tofu on sale which I can about half of the time), and Veganaise I have seen in health food stores costs upwards of $5.50 or more. The vegan sour cream also costs about $1.75. I have never purchased the vegan version in the store, but even the dairy version costs over $2.00 (and don't get me started on the other "costs" associated with buying commercially processed dairy). It just makes sense to make the things we can because it saves so much money. In our Great Recession, who couldn't use a little extra dough?
1 c. dry brown rice
2 very small or 1 medium eggplant
1 white or yellow onion
6 Roma tomatoes
8-10 baby portabello mushrooms or 1 large portabello mushroom
Olive oil
Basil
Thyme
Oregano
Real Salt
1/2 c. veggie broth
4-6 T. Vegan Mayo (if you want homemade the recipe will follow)
Grease a 13x9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fill a large sauce pan halfway with hot water (a minimum of 3 cups) and bring to a boil over high heat. Add rice, return to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes or until rice is tender. Meanwhile, proceed with recipe.
Cut eggplant into cubes (peel before cutting if desired - I like it better with the skin on). Halve onion and slice into half-moon rings. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise, then into three sections the other direction. Remove stems from mushrooms and slice (if using a large portabello cut into cubes).
Place all vegetables in baking dish. I deliberately left out measurements for the spices because I figure individual tastes will vary so much. Season with basil, oregano, thyme and salt according to preference. Toss veggies if desired, but this is not necessary. Drizzle with olive oil and pour veggie broth into baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until highly aromatic. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until all vegetables are very tender.
Let stand while making Vegan Mayo (if doing so). Combine 1 12 oz package extra firm silken tofu, 1 1/2 T. ground mustard, 1 T. Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 T. Lemon Juice, and 1 t. Real Salt. Blend in a blender, food processor, or with a hand blender (the hand blender is easiest). Add additional seasonings if necessary. You could also add a little Bragg's Liquid Aminos or Nutritional Yeast if desired.
Add 4 to 6 T. Vegan Mayo to vegetable mixture, stirring to combine. If you have chosen to make your Mayo, the remainder will keep in the refrigerator for several days.
When rice is finished cooking, drain water and return to pan. Serve vegetables over the rice. Makes about 6 servings (for hungry teenage boys).
Note: I prefer to make things like sour "cream" and Vegan Mayo for the simple fact that it costs less to make it from scratch. For example, the Vegan Mayo I describe here costs no more than $1.75 (and that's if I can't find the tofu on sale which I can about half of the time), and Veganaise I have seen in health food stores costs upwards of $5.50 or more. The vegan sour cream also costs about $1.75. I have never purchased the vegan version in the store, but even the dairy version costs over $2.00 (and don't get me started on the other "costs" associated with buying commercially processed dairy). It just makes sense to make the things we can because it saves so much money. In our Great Recession, who couldn't use a little extra dough?
Monday, September 27
Veggie Packets
I've always avoided recipes like this because they never seemed to turn out. These little packets turned out wonderfully. They would work wonderfully when camping, too. These can easily be assembled ahead of time, if desired, and refrigerated until ready to bake.
2 c. cubed seitan (1/2 recipe Cheater Seitan from this blog)
2 small eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 large russet potato, cubed
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, drained and cubed
1 bell pepper, any color, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
Olive oil
Dried thyme
Garlic powder
Real Salt
Foil or parchment paper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and cut vegetables according to instructions above. Cut four pieces of foil, approximately 12" x 16". Fold in half like a book and then unfold.
On one half of the foil, distribute vegetables evenly. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil and season with thyme, garlic powder and salt as desired. Arrange seitan on top of vegetables, drizzle a little more olive oil, and add additional seasonings.
Fold foil over vegetables and fold edges, making at least 3 creases to keep juices in while cooking. Arrange foil packets on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Note: Cooking time will depend on size of vegetable cubes. The 40 minute recommendation is based on very small chunks of vegetables. Eggplant cooks faster than potatoes, for example, so I left the eggplant a little larger and cut the potatoes very small. If you prefer larger vegetables just increase your cooking time.
Serving Suggestions: My kids love everything in a tortilla, so they took the contents of their foil packets and wrapped it in a tortilla with some of my homemade sour cream. I like sauce on my veggies, so I topped mine with some of the sauce from the Veggie Mac n Cheeze. Vegan Alfredo or Cheesy Bean Sauce would also be delicious.
2 c. cubed seitan (1/2 recipe Cheater Seitan from this blog)
2 small eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 large russet potato, cubed
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, drained and cubed
1 bell pepper, any color, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
Olive oil
Dried thyme
Garlic powder
Real Salt
Foil or parchment paper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and cut vegetables according to instructions above. Cut four pieces of foil, approximately 12" x 16". Fold in half like a book and then unfold.
On one half of the foil, distribute vegetables evenly. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil and season with thyme, garlic powder and salt as desired. Arrange seitan on top of vegetables, drizzle a little more olive oil, and add additional seasonings.
Fold foil over vegetables and fold edges, making at least 3 creases to keep juices in while cooking. Arrange foil packets on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Note: Cooking time will depend on size of vegetable cubes. The 40 minute recommendation is based on very small chunks of vegetables. Eggplant cooks faster than potatoes, for example, so I left the eggplant a little larger and cut the potatoes very small. If you prefer larger vegetables just increase your cooking time.
Serving Suggestions: My kids love everything in a tortilla, so they took the contents of their foil packets and wrapped it in a tortilla with some of my homemade sour cream. I like sauce on my veggies, so I topped mine with some of the sauce from the Veggie Mac n Cheeze. Vegan Alfredo or Cheesy Bean Sauce would also be delicious.
Saturday, May 15
Veggie Lasagna
This is a modified version of a vegan lasagna I used to make using noodles. This version is completely veg-based, making it healthier and lower in calories. It's a little more labor-intensive than recipes I usually make, but it's great for a Saturday or Sunday night dinner when you have more time to cook.1 medium eggplant
3 to 4 small zucchini
1 pkg (12 oz) firm silken tofu
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. basil
1 t. oregano
1 t. salt
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. olive oil
soy milk (if needed)
2 cups spinach, thinly sliced
1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce of your choice (I like the no-sugar mushroom flavor)
Peel eggplant and remove ends. Remove ends from zucchini. Slice very thinly, lengthwise (these will be the lasagna "noodles"). Lightly salt eggplant and set aside.
Fill a medium saucepan halfway with hot water and bring to a boil. Cook spinach for 2 to 3 minutes. Stop cooking while it is still bright green - don't let it turn brown. Drain and press to remove as much of the water as possible.
While water is boiling, begin preparing the "cheese." Place tofu, basil, oregano, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and garlic powder in a blender. Blend on the lowest speed for a few seconds or until completely combined, but leave slightly lumpy. Drizzle in a little soy milk if necessary for processing. Add cooked spinach and pulse a few times to combine.
Line a 13x9 baking pan with foil, then coat with cooking spray. Place a small amount of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the pan. Line with one layer of zucchini and one layer of eggplant, edges almost touching. Pour 1/2 of the tofu mixture, spreading evenly, followed by a small amount of spaghetti sauce. Continue layering in this way until all ingredients have been used.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Makes about 8 servings, unless you have teenage boys, then it makes less. :o)
Calories 100; Fat 3; Sat. Fat 0.4; Cholesterol 0; Carbs 13; Fiber 4; Protein 6
You can modify this many different ways by using different vegetables, herbs and seasonings.
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