Bonjourno!
Oh, the wonderful world of blogging. I am so excited to share this blog with all of you. Before we get onto the tasty eggplant bake-I'd like to do somewhat of an introduction of my journey to vegetarianism.
It all started in grade four with a science video presented to us by a substitute teacher, the video was about eco systems or biology..something of the sort. There was a brief but very graphically honest 20 second clip of where and how our hamburgers were made. My relationship with meat changed forever. Flash forward to two years ago when I was introduced to the cooking of my ex's Mother. Homestyle Country cooking ya'll! After six months of smelling and craving the foods placed in front of me during Sunday dinners (and looking down in boredom at my crackers and cream cheese severed to me on my plate) I could not resist, and enjoyed my fair share of meaty foods. Five months ago I started upon my journey of self-cleansing and reflection (*ahem* naturally brought on by a break-up.) and this meant the first thing to go was my consumption of meat. After a week of cooking and eating healthy vegetarian meals again, my body instantly felt at peace-I was home again.
So here I am in the present starting my first ever blog, and I could not be happier to share my cooking and learning experiences with you all. There is so much satisfaction in cooking your own healthy meals. This is a huge learning process for me, as I was not born with a natural knack for gracefully applying myself in the kitchen. However I've got a creative mind and some sensational taste buds, which really-are the two most important things when it comes having a way with food.
Now onto the bake!
Oh, the wonderful world of blogging. I am so excited to share this blog with all of you. Before we get onto the tasty eggplant bake-I'd like to do somewhat of an introduction of my journey to vegetarianism.
It all started in grade four with a science video presented to us by a substitute teacher, the video was about eco systems or biology..something of the sort. There was a brief but very graphically honest 20 second clip of where and how our hamburgers were made. My relationship with meat changed forever. Flash forward to two years ago when I was introduced to the cooking of my ex's Mother. Homestyle Country cooking ya'll! After six months of smelling and craving the foods placed in front of me during Sunday dinners (and looking down in boredom at my crackers and cream cheese severed to me on my plate) I could not resist, and enjoyed my fair share of meaty foods. Five months ago I started upon my journey of self-cleansing and reflection (*ahem* naturally brought on by a break-up.) and this meant the first thing to go was my consumption of meat. After a week of cooking and eating healthy vegetarian meals again, my body instantly felt at peace-I was home again.
So here I am in the present starting my first ever blog, and I could not be happier to share my cooking and learning experiences with you all. There is so much satisfaction in cooking your own healthy meals. This is a huge learning process for me, as I was not born with a natural knack for gracefully applying myself in the kitchen. However I've got a creative mind and some sensational taste buds, which really-are the two most important things when it comes having a way with food.
Now onto the bake!
Eggplant and Red Pepper Bake (Serves 4)
What You'll Need:
1 eggplant cut into slices. About 1/4-inch thick, but it really depends on your casserole dish.
1 large white onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 red pepper diced
1 large white onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 red pepper diced
1 zucchinni grated, cut in half lengthwise and diced
4 oz mushrooms. Pre-cut triple washed mushrooms help keep this bake simple
1 cup nutritional yeast
8 oz tomato sauce
3 tbsp Italian Seasoning
*1 cup spelt bread crumbs
* I didn't use any when I cooked this and it still turned out tasty. Bread crumbs are an option if you want to soak up more of the moisture, which will help hold the bake together. If you use bread crumbs, layer them in between the veggies and the tomato sauce.
4 oz mushrooms. Pre-cut triple washed mushrooms help keep this bake simple
1 cup nutritional yeast
8 oz tomato sauce
3 tbsp Italian Seasoning
*1 cup spelt bread crumbs
* I didn't use any when I cooked this and it still turned out tasty. Bread crumbs are an option if you want to soak up more of the moisture, which will help hold the bake together. If you use bread crumbs, layer them in between the veggies and the tomato sauce.
Directions:
1) Preheat broiler, set oven at 375.
2) Arrange eggplant slices on a baking sheet lightly coated with coconut oil/olive oil. Broil each side for six minutes, turn over and broil for another six minutes.Eggplant is tricky to bake and you really want it to be nice and soft. Perhaps you'll keep it in a few minutes longer depending on your oven.
1) Preheat broiler, set oven at 375.
2) Arrange eggplant slices on a baking sheet lightly coated with coconut oil/olive oil. Broil each side for six minutes, turn over and broil for another six minutes.Eggplant is tricky to bake and you really want it to be nice and soft. Perhaps you'll keep it in a few minutes longer depending on your oven.
3) Heat large stir-fry pan coated with coconut oil over medium heat. Add in your onion,mushrooms, garlic and Italian seasoning. Do not move onto step four until your onions are translucent.
4) Add in zucchini and red peppers, stir into the mixture and let cook for about two minutes.
5) Add veggie mixture to the bottom of your casserole dish,spread tomato sauce on top,spoon out the nutritional yeast and arrange eggplant slices on top. Continue this layering process until all your ingredients are in the casserole dish, with the tomato sauce being on the top visable layer. Sprinkle remaining nutritional yeast to the top of your bake, cover and bake for an hour.
ENJOY!
No comments:
Post a Comment