Vegan Eggplant Parmesan Bake
By Maeve Holmberg
For the Tofu Cheese
8 oz extra firm tofu
1 clove garlic
1 ½ tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
For the Eggplant Mixture
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 slices Ezekiel Bread, toasted
½ cup almond flour
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
Sprinkle of black pepper
1 large eggplant
3 cups marinara sauce
1. Set out two bowls. In one bowl, mix together the almond milk and apple cider vinegar, set aside. In the other bowl, combine the almond flour, flax seeds, oregano, basil, and black pepper.
2. Pulse the toasted Ezekiel Bread in a blender/food processor until it forms small crumbles. Add to almond flour mixture.
3. Slice eggplant into ½ inch rounds and spray a large skillet with oil over medium heat. Dip each eggplant slice first in the almond milk mixture, then the flour mixture (making sure its completely coated in breadcrumbs), and place on skillet. Cook 4 eggplant rounds at a time for 4-5 minutes on each side, until browned on bottom. Repeat with remaining eggplant rounds (re-oil the skillet in-between batches).
4. Blend all ingredients for the tofu cheese in a blender/food processor until smooth. Set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 400ºF and set out an 8x8-inch baking dish. Spread 1 cup marinara sauce over the bottom of the dish. Lay out half of the eggplant rounds on top of the sauce. Top with another cup of marinara sauce, and spoon the tofu cheese over each sauce-covered eggplant round, pressing down to spread. Layer the remaining half of eggplant rounds on top of each cheese dollop, and cover with another 1 cup marinara sauce. Once again, spoon tofu cheese over each sauce-covered eggplant round.
6. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving, enjoy!
