Breaded & Baked Eggplant

Eggplant is one of those tricky vegetables that some LOVE but some say the texture is too strange.  If you cook eggplant just right though, you don't have that strange spongy or mushy texture that have turned away so many!  This is a tweaked version of a baked eggplant recipe I found in a book called "Vegan Homestyle".  My husband is a huge fan of this dish, and rightfully so... it's packed with flavor, takes up a large section of his plate, and presents beautifully :).  You may have tried the less healthy version at a little hole in the wall called "Olive Garden" ;], but it's been battered with white flour, filled with sodium, deep fried, and topped with that no-no mozzarella.  We'll this my friends is baked, and safe!  Enjoy this with a side of vegan Fettucini Alfredo, a nice salad, and or something green.  I usually serve mine with sweet peas or italian cut green beans.  This recipe makes enough for a family of four, with leftovers (lots, if you have small eaters).  Hope you likey!

This breading recipe and process is very similar to my tofu fillet recipe and equally as satisfying.  You may want to check out that recipe if I leave you confused on anything.

Breading Meal Ingredients:

This makes enough for two whole eggplants, half your ingredients if you're flying solo or cooking for 2

1 Cup whole wheat flour

8 Tbs. Nutritional Yeast Flakes

2 Tbs. Onion Powder

2 Tbs. Parsley (dried, not fresh)

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1 tsp. Paprika

Directions:

Mix well in a medium sized mixing bowl

Other Ingredients:

2 Large Eggplants (look for ones with no bruises or flaws)

1/4 to 1/2 Cup of vegan Mayo (like vegenaise or any homemade vegan mayo)

Spray olive oil (or a misto sprayer and your favorite olive oil)

1 Jar of Marinara (I prefer organic and Kosher, Barilla is a good brand)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Spray two (or three, depending on the size of your eggplant) cookie sheets with oil (even if they're non-stick, the flour will need the oil to make the badder stick), and set them aside

Slice both eggplants into 1/2 fillets, like shown below

Work quickly after cutting, because eggplant will turn brown if exposed to air for close to an hour

Smooth about a teaspoon of vegan mayo on each side the fillet, and place in flour bowl with flour

Gently turn over in the flour to make sure both sides are covered

Place on cookie sheet

Repeat process until ALL of the eggplant has been covered in vegan mayo and flour and placed on the cookie sheet

Once ALL of your eggplant is on the oiled cookie sheets, spray the tops of the eggplant with oil (you will see that instead of being dry and covered with flour, they are now looking damp.  You won't need a ton of oil, just enough to moisten the flour)  It should look like this:

Now, put your cookie sheets in the oven and bake for 45 minutes

Lift a fillet with a spatula to see that the underside is cooked, mine is always a little more brown than the top

You want your bread to be crusty and cooked, not wet

Assess from here as to whether you should let it cook for 10 more minutes or not

It should look like this:

When finished, remove from oven

Top with warm marinara, vegan mozzarella, or pesto!

Leftovers?  Use your breading meal for Tofu fillets later in the week and use your left over eggplant for sandwiches!  Yep, it's good!