INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium-large eggplant (sliced into ¼ inch thick rounds)
- Mayo:
- ½ cup raw cashew pieces
- ½ brick extra firm tofu (or about 7 ounces)
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons water
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- Breading:
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs (see note below)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
- ½-3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste, depending on brand of panko used)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Tofu Ricotta:
- ½-3/4 cup remaining mayo from recipe above (or whatever is left after painting/breading your eggplant rounds)
- ½ brick extra firm tofu (or 7 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- salt to taste
- Marinara sauce (to serve)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare eggplant by washing, peeling (optional), and slicing it into ¼ inch thick rounds.
- Prepare mayo (or use your favorite vegan mayo–about ½ to ¾ cup needed, depending on the size of your eggplant) by blending all mayo ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, soak your cashews for a few hours before-hand, and use only 3-4 tablespoons of water.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix all breading ingredients together and set aside in a bowl.
- Paint each eggplant piece with generous amounts of mayo on both sides.
- Spoon the breading mixture over both sides of each eggplant round, tapping off the excess.
- Place eggplant rounds on 2 lined baking sheets.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes, then flip each eggplant round over, and bake for another 12 to 15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender and crumbs are a light golden color.
- Serve eggplant alone, with pasta and marinara, or in stacks (as shown) with vegan ricotta made out of your leftover ingredients (remaining oil-free mayo and ½ brick tofu).
- To make the tofu ricotta, use a fork to mash together oil-free mayo, tofu, lemon juice, yeast flakes, basil, and salt in a bowl.
- Layer eggplant rounds with marinara and tofu ricotta to desired height. Top with fresh basil if desired.
Source ; allrecipes.com
