Eggplant "Parm" - gluten free, vegan deliciousness

I got the idea for this dish from my family. So my sister and mother have been trying to go mostly vegetarian and no starch so they can eat as much as they want during vacation, and my sister has been avoiding all dairy products as well because of her slight lactose intolerance. Now eggplant parm is one of my favorite dishes that my boyfriend’s mother makes, so I decided to challenge myself and make a vegan, no-starch eggplant parm recipe, so take a look and see my ideas!

Ingredients:

·      Tomato sauce, warmed up

·      1 large eggplant

·      3 zucchini

·      2 tbsp olive oil

·      1.5 tsp salt

·      3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

·      1 medium cauliflower

·      1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

·      1.5 tsp minced garlic

·      ¼ cup almond or soy milk

·      1/8 cup ground almonds or nutritional yeast

·      1.5 tsp lemon juice

·      ¼ tsp onion powder

·      ¼ tsp garlic powder

·      ½ tsp sea salt

·      ¼ tsp black pepper

For the pasta…

Peel off the skin on the zucchinis. Hold the zucchini vertically on the cutting board and peel in long strokes down the zucchini to create the pasta. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the zucchini in the hot oil for about a minute. Add ¼ cup water and cook until the zucchini is softened (5-7 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.

For the cauliflower sauce…

Break the cauliflower into small florets, place in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring the pot to a slow boil and cook for 3-7 minutes until fork tender. Add the 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil to a skillet  and sautee the garlic over low-medium heat for 4-5 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the drained cauliflower, garlic, milk, yeast/ground almonds, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, ½ tsp sea salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper to a blender and blend until very smooth.

For the eggplant…

Cut the eggplant in half and peel the skin off.  Score the flesh in a diamond pattern by slicing diagonally one way all the way down the eggplant and then slice diagonally the other way. Make sure you don’t cut all the way through the eggplant. Sprinkle the 1.5 tsp salt over the two halves, trying to get most of the salt between the scores in the eggplant halves. Set aside the halves, cut side up for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently squeeze the eggplant halves over the sink to get rid of the salty juice, wipe them dry, and drizzle the halves with 1 tsp olive oil each. Sprinkle the halves with a bit of garlic powder, place the halves cut-side down on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let the halves cool for 20 minutes before handling.

To assemble…

Toss the zucchini pasta in the heated tomato sauce, arrange the eggplant on top, and drizzle with some of the cauliflower sauce, and you’re all done!