Description:
Recipe from Autumn 2021 issue of True Natural Health
Provided By Emma Roche – Founder of PlantPlate.com
A classic dish with a healthy plant-based twist: crisp, golden, oil-free eggplant rounds topped with a rich, flavourful veggie marinara sauce. It doesn’t get much better than this!
Ingredients
For the Eggplant
- 2 large eggplants, sliced into 1 cm thick rounds
- ¾ cup soy or almond milk
- 1 tsp vinegar
- ¾ cup sparkling water
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs (oil-free)
- ½ cup nutritional yeast flakes
For the Marinara Sauce
- 1 medium onion, diced finely
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup vegetable stock
- 2 x 400 gm (14 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1½ tsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- Black pepper, to taste
Method
- Prepare the marinara. Place the onion, garlic and vegetable stock in a large saucepan. Sauté on high heat for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat, add all remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes until thickened.
- Prepare the eggplant batter. Whisk the milk with the vinegar. Add the sparkling water and whisk again. Add the flour, thyme, oregano and black pepper, and whisk gently until combined. Set aside.
- Combine breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast in a large, shallow bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F, and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
- Take a slice of eggplant, dip it in the batter, shake to remove excess, toss it in the crumb coating until it is well covered, then place on the baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for a further 10 – 15 minutes until golden and crunchy.
- Remove from the oven and top with marinara. Serve immediately.
Tip. Have a bowl of warm water on hand to rinse your fingers as you coat and crumb and dry your hands well before returning to the breadcrumbs.
