Eggplant Parmesan
Ready for an Italian taste bud explosion?! I would like to start by pointing out that this recipe is completely vegan, and I am very proud of creating it because it was slightly challenging. I wonder if many of you read what I write before the recipes because if you haven't in a while -surprise- a lot of these recipes are vegan. I promise I would never post a recipe on here where a non-vegan would be able to tell, unless they really want meat obviously. Yes, even the parmesan in the picture below is vegan.
I am not trying to push being vegan on anyone, and honestly, I am simply doing it for personal health development. I wanted to challenge myself and my body, and so far have seen great results, also animals are cute. Anyhow, back to this amazing Italian feast, eggplant parmesan is a staple in almost every house. It's a recipe everyone has tried, although the renditions may have been different, it's eggplant served with a side.
For the parmesan cheese, I used Follow Your Heart -my go-to vegan cheese option. I also made my Alfredo sauce from scratch using natural ingredients, I will include the recipe below.
For the eggplant, I believe that most importantly you need to ensure that your slices are even so when you are pan frying them, you are evenly cooking them. As you get to the thicker part of the eggplant, slice thinner than you would at the top part.
It was my first time making vegan Alfredo from scratch, it took a couple tries to prefect the taste but the end result was pretty good. This recipe is a great one for anyone seeking a healthy and dairy-free alternative to an Italian feast.
Eggplant Parmesan
yields: 2 servings prep time: 15 minutes cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 eggplant, evenly sliced
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tbsp. salt
1/2 cup almond milk, unsweet
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup panko
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup (follow your heart) parmesan
1/2 tsp oregano, dried
linguini
1 cup raw cashews, soaked
3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. (follow your heart) parmesan
1 1/2 cup almond milk, unsweet
Fresh basil, garnish
Directions:
For the eggplant: Start by making three different mixtures to coat eggplants slices. 1. Dry coat: mix flour, cornstarch, and salt. 2. Wet coat: almond milk and cornstarch. 3. Panko coat: combine panko, cornmeal, parmesan, and oregano.
Start with your dry coat, followed by your wet coat, and ending with your panko coat. Repeat steps until all eggplant slices are well coated. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400.
In a medium skillet, place oil and turn heat on to medium high, pan frying the eggplants for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Place fried eggplant onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.
For the vegan Alfredo sauce: Soak cashews in very hot (or even boiling water) for about 20 minutes, then blend on highest speed with nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, parmesan, and almost milk until creamy.
In a small pot, cook sauce over medium high until it thickens. Add more almond milk as necessary to think the sauce out if necessary.
Mix alfredo sauce with some cooked linguini noodles, and top off with your delicious eggplant.
From my kitchen, to yours. Together we can make all the Italians in the world proud, hopefully.
You're welcome, bon appétit!
Xoxo
Oliver
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