Baba Ghanoush

1 medium-large eggplant
1 head garlic
olive oil
1/4 tsp smoked sea salt
1/3 cup Trader Joe's tahini sauce
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1 dash liquid smoke (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Poke the eggplant all over with a knife or fork, spray  or rub with olive oil, and bake for 1 hour, or until collapsing.

Meanwhile, rub the extra skin off a head of garlic, cut the top off and spray/rub with oil.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cloves are soft.

Let the eggplant cool for a bit, then peel off the skin.  Remove as many of the seeds as you can get (don't stress about it, though).  Peel the roasted garlic cloves.  Add the garlic, salt, tahini, chipotle and cumin to the eggplant flesh.  Mash thoroughly or blend with a stick blender.  Taste, and if you like it a bit smokier, add a dash of liquid smoke.

Vegan Baingan Bartha

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• aromatics
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 small onion, diced small
  • 1 tsp ginger, grated or finely minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• spices
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp sea salt
• roasted, skinned and mashed veggies
  • 1 eggplant
  • 1-2 sweet potatoes (optional)
  • 3 tiny golden beets (optional)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1-1/2 cups frozen peas
• 1/3 cup soy milk creamer

Heat canola oil in a heavy pan over medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover and wait until you hear them popping, then add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute. Add the spices and salt and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add the roasted veggies and tomatoes and stir. Add the creamer, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the tomatoes have mostly collapsed. Add the frozen peas and cook for 3 more minutes, or until heated through.

Notes: This was very mild. If you want a spicier kick, you could add chipotle powder for some smoky heat.

Baba Ghanoush

1 eggplant
olive oil
roasted garlic
lemon juice
chipotle powder
tahini (or hummus)

Stab your eggplant a couple of times and pop it in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and collapsing. Let cool. Remove the skin and as many seeds as you can (you won't be able to get them all; don't stress about it).

Using a stick blender, puree the eggplant. Add other ingredients to taste and blend well.

Pumpkin-Eggplant Polenta Lasagna

Yet another variation on Susan's Eggplant Parmesan at Fat Free Vegan. One of our eggplants turned out to be past its prime, so I threw in some pumpkin puree and swiss chard from our garden to make up the difference. The result was incredible: creamy, savory and decadent. I have to say that this recipe is incredibly forgiving and amazingly tasty.

1 smallish eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup marinara sauce

2 cups pureed roasted pumpkin (or 1 can pumpkin puree)
1-2 pinches nutmeg

1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch swiss chard, rinsed and torn into pieces

1/2 block polenta, sliced paper thin
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp each fresh basil and oregano, torn into bits

Cheeze sauce:
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
1/2 cup soy creamer
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/2 tsp veggie bouillon powder (optional)
1 tsp onion powder
1-1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
1-2 dashes Tobasco

Preheat the broiler. Lay your eggplant slices on a cookie sheet, salt them lightly and spray them with olive oil. When the oven is hot enough, stick them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until they're starting to brown.

Blend up the ingredients for the cheeze sauce.

Mix the pumpkin puree with 2-3 Tbsp of the cheeze sauce and the nutmeg.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the garlic and swiss chard and cook for a minute or two, until the chard is wilty. Mix in half of the basil and oregano.

Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Layer the ingredients in a baking dish in the following order:
* polenta slices
* marinara
* eggplant slices
* cheeze sauce
* swiss chard mixture
* pumpkin mixture
* salt/pepper
* cheeze sauce
* polenta slices
* marinara sauce
* drizzle of cheeze sauce

Bake for 20-30 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the remaining basil and oregano and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

This is my version of Susan's Eggplant Parmesan at Fat Free Vegan, except I wanted to make it wheat-free. I also used jarred marinara sauce, because I'm lazy.

1 eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 handfuls Tings, crushed
1/2 jar marinara sauce
1/2 block polenta, sliced paper thing

Cheeze sauce:
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup plain rice milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp veggie bouillon powder
1 tsp onion powder
1-1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch

Preheat the broiler. Lay your eggplant slices on a cookie sheet, salt them lightly and spray them with olive oil. When the oven is hot enough, stick them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until they're starting to brown. Blend up the ingredients for the cheeze sauce.

Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Put half the eggplant slices in the bottom of a casserole dish. Cover with half the polenta slices, followed by half the marinara, then half the cheeze sauce. Sprinkle with a handful of crushed Tings. Repeat, reserving the bulk of the crushed Tings for the top. Sprinkle the top with crushed Tings and grind a little more fresh pepper on top of the whole thing.

Bake for 20-40 minutes, or until browned. Eat!

Pan-Fried Eggplant Medallions with Capers

2 Japanese eggplants

2 Tbsp tahini

1/4 cup water

1-2 cups panko

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp capers

Slice the eggplants into very thin rounds.  Salt them generously and let sit for a few minutes.  Mix the tahini and water together to form a thick sludge.  Heat the oil over medium in a skillet.  Dredge the eggplant slices in the tahini, then in panko.  Fry for a few minutes on each side, until the eggplant is cooked through and the breadcrumbs are golden.  Just before serving, toss with the capers.

Butternut Squash Soup w/ Crispy Eggplant Strips

Paula's Butternut Squash Soup

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 apple, diced
1 tsp curry powder
1/3 chipotle pepper, pounded to powder
1 veg bouillon cube
1-1/2 cups water
1 butternut squash, cooked, peeled and cubed (or 4 cups puree or 2 packages frozen squash)
orange juice to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and apple and saute for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the curry powder and chipotle dust and cook for 1 more minute, stirring. Add the bouillon cube, water and squash and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until everything is soft. Puree about half the soup with a stick blender. Taste and add orange juice until all the flavors wake up.

Crispy Eggplant Strips

1 eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch thick strips
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup bread or cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
a few shakes black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
all-purpose flour
plain soy milk or water
canola oil
1/3 cup marinara sauce for dipping

Sprinkle the eggplant strips with salt and let sit for a few minutes. Mix the bread/cracker crumbs, yeast, pepper and garlic powder together in a bowl. Set up your assembly line: eggplant strips, bowl of flour, bowl of soy milk, bowl of breadcrumb mixture, frying pan. Heat a thin layer of canola oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Take each eggplant strip, dip it in flour, then in soy milk, then coat it in breadcrumbs. Fry on each side for 3-4 minutes. Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce.

Balsamic-Glazed Portobello/Tomato/Eggplant Strata

(aka 'Portobello Mushroom Thing')

This is based on a delicious veggie entree I've had at Cosi Cucina. My version is not as fancy-looking, but it's damn tasty.

2 portobello mushroom caps, sliced into big pieces (I like to slice
them lengthwise)
2-3 ripe tomatoes, sliced thickly
1/3-1/2 eggplant, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
1 generous handful pine nuts
2 healthy glugs balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt/pepper

Drizzle a frying pan with olive oil. Heat the oil over medium heat, then add the minced garlic and pine nuts. When the garlic starts to turn golden, turn off the heat and add the balsamic vinegar. (Sometimes I add a splash of white wine, too.)

Smear the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil, then cover with eggplant slices. Top with the tomato slices. Sprinkle the tomatoes with a little salt and pepper and the basil. Top with the portobello mushroom slices, then pour the balsamic-garlic-pine-nuts mixture over the whole thing. Cover with foil (or an upside-down cookie sheet) and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, or until mushrooms are cooked through.

Ingredient Note: We buy our pine nuts in bulk at Costco or Sam's Club, where they're *much* cheaper. At the normal grocery store, you can pay 4 or 5 dollars for a little tiny jar; at the bulk stores, you'll pay 8-10 dollars for a huge bag... well worth the investment, as pine nuts are dee-licious.

Zucchini-Eggplant Lasagna

I found this recipe on the 'Nutrition & Good Eating' thread on the Mothering.com forums. I was skeptical about the fake cheese; however, the finished product tasted amazingly rich and decadent. The trick here is to slice the eggplant really thin.

2 cups spaghetti sauce (I used a jar of mushroom-and-olive flavor)
oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 medium or 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
10 ounce block vegan mozzarella cheese, grated (or low-fat 'normal' mozzarella)
1/3-1/2 eggplant, really thinly sliced
Several heaping spoonfuls tofu ricotta (or low-fat 'normal' ricotta)
garlic powder
nutritional yeast (optional)

Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Lay a few noodles on top. Layer zucchini slices on top of the noodles. Sprinkle the zucchini with garlic powder and nutritional yeast and cover with sauce. More noodles. More sauce. 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Eggplant slices, sprinkled with garlic and nutritional yeast and covered with tofu ricotta. More noodles. More zucchini slices, sprinkled. More sauce. Top with the remaining mozzarella.

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Ingredient Notes: I used Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative brand mozzarella cheese, which is available at New City Market. The nutritional yeast is optional... it adds a 'cheesy' taste and provides vitamin B12, which can be hard to get in vegan diets. Make sure to slice the eggplant really thin!