Vegan Eggplant “Parm” - Alli

Basically you can follow Georgia’s recipe for this one (only it will be messier). Instead of eggs just go ahead and use a couple tablespoons of olive oil. (I also usually skip the flour, opting to get the eggplant sautéed—not too brown) first.

In place of the cheese use the following recipe for tofu mash or soy ricotta—whatever you want to call it. This is partly adapted from VwV and partly from the boyfriend’s former job as a vegan pizza chef. Your eggplant parm will be messier than G’s recipe and you’ll want to keep an eye on this as it cooks—you’ll notice though that the tofu cheese will get a nice goldy color to it as it cooks.

This stuff is amazing—I make it for non-vegans all the time—it’s actually an oft-requested item when I go home. Toss it in pasta or top pizza with it—it’s perfect.

Soy Ricotta Tofu Mash:

1 block firm tofu, drained

Handful (about ten) basil leaves—chopped finely

Juice of half lemon

2 Tbsp olive oil

Pinches of salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves (or two if you’re picky)

Tsp tarragon (optional but awesome)

Tsp oregano (or Italian seasonings if you don’t have the straight stuff)

After you’ve drained the tofu, toss in a bowl and crumble (you’ll want to toss some ziplock bags over your hands and put them to work). Once you’ve got some nice little crumblies going add the lemon and all of the spices (but not the olive oil yet). Keep using your hands and go a little crazier mashing the whole thing up. Take the gloves off your hands (switch to “fork”). Toss in the olive oil and mix, coating well. Use the fork to get things nice and fluffy. About this time I like to give it a little taste to see how you feel about the spices (Rob, the boyfriend, always likes to “play chef” at this point). Give it one last stir, cover, and toss in the fridge for at least twenty minutes (this is kind of optional but I think makes a big difference when it comes time to cook—Rob likes to make a huge batch and let it sit overnight before cooking with it).