I have been on an eggplant kick the last few weeks. I have been experimenting with some old home recipes and making them into vegan dishes for me. I use the large black beauty eggplants because I find they are firmer and hold their flavor when cooked. Here is a recipe I have made 3 times in the past 2 weeks.

Ingredients:

• 1 Large eggplant (black beauty variety)
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 Cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 Quart home canned stewed tomatoes, un-drained (use large 1 pound can of stewed tomatoes if you do not have home canned)
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Teaspoon vegan raw sugar
• ½ Teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 Teaspoon pepper
• ¼ Teaspoon fresh basil, finely chopped (use ¼ teaspoon basil if you do not have fresh basil)
• Vegan parmesan cheese (I found a parmesan cheese recipe on the Internet)
• Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Prepare:

• Cut the eggplant in slices, remove skin, and cut into bit size pieces
• Place eggplant in saucepan, cover with water, add salt, and boil for 5 minutes
• Add olive oil to cooking skillet, heat on stove until hot
• Add garlic to hot olive oil and sauté till slightly brown
• Stir in flour, stewed tomatoes, salt, vegan sugar, paprika, pepper, and basil
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, stir continuously until mixture thickens
• Remove eggplant from stove, drain, and add to the tomato mixture
• Grease the bottom of casserole dish
• Pour the eggplant and tomato mixture into the casserole dish
• Sprinkle top of eggplant with Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• Top with vegan parmesan cheese

Cooking Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Place casserole dish in oven and bake for 20 minutes

Serves 4

I have added sliced almonds to the top of my bread crumbs before adding the vegan parmesan cheese. This is an excellent vegetable dish to serve with vegan sausage or fried tofu, add a salad and invite your friends over for dinner.

*Image courtesy Flickr creative commons.