Eggplant Parmesan

For a large part of my cooking career, I have had an undeniable attraction to Rachel Ray. She's perky, heallllthy (and I don't mean her food), and just kinda wings her food together. For the most part, her food can be made healthy and everything is fairly simple to make. What's not to love?



Cody loves Rachel's cooking, too....hence the reason I have six of her cook books. :) Of course, I received five of them before becoming a vegetarian, so now I'm made to go through them and make her recipes vegan. When we were still in Japan and I was just a vegetarian (not "just" as in "only"...vegetarians rock, too!), I took my first stab at her Eggplant Parmesan from her Vegetarian Cook Book. All we had out there were the Japanese eggplants, duh, so the pieces were small but cute. Oh, and delicious! Cody & I couldn't get over how much we loved eggplant! Now it's a staple in our house. I've tried eggplant roasted, sauteed, and grilled, but I love my eggplant coated with bread crumbs and served with pasta (or in a panini ala Eggplant Panini).

At first, I made Rachel's eggplant with eggs. Obviously a no go these days. My first few attempts at making vegan eggplant parm weren't all that great. I have since mastered the art of eggplant, though. At least, Cody & I think so. :)



Eggplant Parmesan
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes

1 large eggplant
1-2 cups fresh bread crumbs (I take a few slices of bread and dry them out in the oven at 350° F, then grind in my food processor)
Salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp Vegan Topping
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Earth Balance

1. Slice your eggplant about 1/2-inch thick. Sprinkle each side with salt, place in a colander, and let the bitter juices drain out for about 10 minutes. Pat dry and set aside.

2. In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, salt & pepper, oregano, rosemary, and Vegan Topping. Set aside.

3. In another shallow bowl, combine soy milk and lemon juice. Mix and let curdle.

4. In a shallow dish, mix flour and a little extra salt & pepper.

5. Heat olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. At the same time, heat your oven to 350° F. Working in batches, take one piece of eggplant and dredge in flour. After dredging, coat with the "buttermilk" mixture. Then coat with bread crumbs and place carefully in the pan. Cook until golden brown, flip, and cook the other side.

6. When one pan of eggplant is good and golden, place on a cookie sheet and put in the preheated oven for 5 minutes or until you see some juice under each slice. Remove; serve on a sandwich or with pasta and sauce.



This is what we had for Valentine's Day dinner. Followed by some tasty Chocolate Banana Cream Pie...recipe to follow. Trust me: you'll want to tune in for that one!