Quick Seared Eggplant Salad with Lentils and Rice

The evening I made this I was desperate for two things: to eat quickly and NOT to go out to the store.  I was tired (and did I mention, hungry?!). So I made this up with what was in our fridge. AJ approved.

This is VEGAN and gluten free :)

You will need:

Olive oil

10-12 Indian eggplant (or a medium sized eggplant)

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

2 carrots, cut in quarters

1/2 of a yellow onion, diced

1 cup of green lentils

1 cup of basmati rice

Handful of chopped parsley

1 lemon, juiced

2 small green onions, sliced into thin slices

Salt

A handful of spinach or other salad greens

For the dressing:

1 cup of tahini

1/2 cup of white wine vinegar

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 clove of garlic, peeled

1 large tablespoon of honey or maple syrup

First gather your materials and wash your eggplant because you will keep the delicate skins of these adorable little eggplant on.

Next quarter the eggplant and oil a pan slightly. Turn the pan to medium high heat and caramelize the eggplant. After the first five minutes, flipping them side to side occasionally, add the balsamic vinegar and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, so that they are shriveled slightly, and caramelized on the inner fleshy sides.

Meanwhile prep your carrots and onions. 

Add diced carrot, diced onion and lentils to a small soup pot with two cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover, letting them cook for 20 minutes.

Start your rice in another small soup pot, 1 cup of basmati rice with 1 and 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then cover, allowing it to simmer for 20 minutes. Then remove from heat, leaving it sealed with the cover on for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, your eggplant should be looking like this... once it does, turn the heat off let them sit until you are ready to put together your salad.

While you are waiting for your lentils and rice to cook, make your dressing! Add tahini, wine vinegar, oil, garlic and honey into a small food processor and blend until smooth. I had a few basil leaves to use, so I added them (if you have cilantro, extra parsley or dried herbs you want to try?) blend in as well. If it is too thick add a tablespoon of water or two until it is a dressing-like consistency.

Juice your lemon and prep the parsley and green onion. These will be added to the lentils and rice when they are cooked.

When the lentils and rice are fully cooked, blend together with lemon juice, green onions and parsley. Salt to your liking and add olive oil sparingly.

On a bed of salad greens (spinach pictured) place a nest of lentil-rice mixture and delicately add the caramelized eggplant around the top. Dress with the tahini-deliciousness. Enjoy!

xo

Creamy Bechamel Sauce Pasta and Veggies

This sauce is actually very easy to prepare as a vegan sauce, but in this case I added cheese to it because I wanted it to be a little more decadent. If you want to make it vegan you can leave out the cheese entirely or add nutritional yeast to emulate the flavor and texture.
I love this sauce because I love alfredo, but it is often too heavy for me. This is a nice, light alternative.


What you will need:

3 tablespoons of butter, margarine or oil
1/3 of a medium yellow onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon of basil
2 cups cups of unsweetened almond milk (or whatever kind of milk you use)
1/4-1/3 of a cup of rice flour
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
**Optional:
Cayenne
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup grated asiago
(or 1/2 cup nutritional yeast if our preference is vegan)

Serve with:
1 lb gluten free pasta
Various vegetables, chopped (today I used zucchini, spinach, onions, tomatoes)

Optional Garnishes:
Chopped basil
Grated parmesan
Truffle oil

Start by melting your butter in a shallow sauce pan on medium.

Saute your onions for a few moments in the melted butter then add garlic. And basil. Allow ingredients to cook and brown.

Once your base has browned, add 1 and 1/2 almond milk and whisk (you will want to use a whisk from this point on)

In a separate bowl, mix the rice flour with the remainder of the almond milk, about 1/2 cup with the whisk. By whisking the flour separately in a bowl with cool milk, you are less likely to get lumps. Once the flour-milk mixture is smooth, add it into the milk mixture on the stove, whisking constantly. It will thicken as it heats up.

Continually whisking allow the sauce to thicken over medium to medium low heat for about 5-7 minutes. Then turn to medium low and add your grated cheese (or nutritional yeast or omit if this is a vegan recipe) and continue to whisk while simmering for about 3-5 minutes.You'll now have a thicker, smoother sauce forming.

Taste your sauce at this point, if you want it to be saltier add a pinch of salt or more cheese (though this will make it thicker) I like mine with a bite, so I had black pepper and paprika, sometimes a pinch of cayenne. Let it remain covered on low heat, stirring or whisking periodically until you are ready to serve.

For the rest of the recipe, boil water for pasta and cook as per the directions.

Saute or roast your vegetables, depending on how much time you have and what types of vegetables you use. Peas, broccoli, greens, carrots, tomatoes, summer squash etc. all make great vegetables to compliment this dish.

In this case, I used onions, zucchini, spinach and tomatoes.

Saute the onions until translucent, then add the chopped zucchini.

Once the zucchini becomes soft, add the spinach and tomatoes, allowing the spinach to wilt over low heat and the tomatoes to release their juices.

When your pasta is through cooking toss the veggies, pasta and sauce altogether in a pan.

Serve immediately, garnish with fresh grated cheese, freshly chopped basil and a sprinkle of truffle oil. MMMMMmm!

Simple Vegetable Lasagna

**If you would prefer this recipe be vegan, then substitute vegan cheese for the cheese, and substitute a smashed firm tofu, salted with nutritional yeast, basil, olive oil, and a smidge of sugar in place of the ricotta. I have decided I much prefer real, organic, dairy to processed vegan "dairy" but the vegan route of this recipe is delicious too!

What you will need:
Two+ cups of marinara sauce (see my homemade recipe, previous to this one)
Olive oil
1/2 an onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 eggplant, peeled and diced
1 cup of spinach, washed
1 10 ounce package of gluten free lasagna noodles
1 1/2 cups of ricotta (I prefer full fat, organic ricotta-- I think being satisfied with my meals what keeps me lean, personally)
1 handful of fresh basil, minced
Black pepper
Salt
1/4 cup of shredded parmesan
1 cup of shredded asiago, romano, mozzarella, and parmesan (use whatever combination makes you happy)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and begin your lasagna making ritual by having your sauce ready-- in my case I prepare mine right before making this recipe.
Then, boil ten quart pot of water for your lasagna noodles.
This is the kind I buy when I don't feel like making pasta from scratch:

While the water is boiling, saute the onion, in a pan on medium high in a scant amount of olive oil, until it becomes translucent. Add garlic and diced eggplant. Add a bit of broth or water if the eggplant begins to stick. Cook until the eggplant is soft, about 7 minutes.

Once your eggplant is soft, add your spinach, and a pinch of salt for taste. And remove from heat. The spinach will wilt on its own between being with the warm eggplant and once it goes into the oven to bake in the lasagna.

If the water is boiling at this point, add your lasagna noodles and keep a timer-- you want them al dente as they will continue to get soft in the oven once they are baking.

Add your ricotta cheese to a bowl with a pinch of pepper, the minced fresh basil as well as fresh grated parmesan.

Drain your lasgana noodles when they are ready and rinse they gently with cold water to keep them from sticking to one another.

Grate your cheese--- on this occasion I used a mixture of asiago, mozzarella and parmesan. You can use any combination or single cheese that you would like.

Now you can start your lasagna, on this evening I was making two small lasagnas, so I used two 8x8" baking dishes. Normally you can use a 13x9" or so rectangular baking dish.

You don't need to grease it, instead put a layer of marinara sauce down FIRST to keep things from sticking :) then add an even layer of noodles.

Then add a layer of evenly placed ricotta mixture and a sprinkle of cheese.

Add another layer of noodles and then a thin layer of cheese (remember the cheese is what binds this whole recipe together, having a little cheese on every layer will make it more manageable to serve!) vegetables and a smidgen of marinara sauce.

Depending on how much filling you have, repeat until you have enough noodles for a final top layer, then add a generous amount of sauce and finish your grated cheese.

 In this particular case I was able to make two small 8x8 three-layer lasagnas.

Bake, covered with aluminum foil at 350 for 30 minutes.

:) Enjoy xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxo