eggplant Archives - Pure Thyme

Baked Eggplant Stacks (vegan, gluten-free)

Before we get to the recipe, I want to tell you about this gourmet sauce that the good people over at Rose Romano’s Italian Gourmet Toppings shared with me. I can honestly say, this is one of the BEST jarred sauces on the market. It’s worth trying out if you are not into making your own sauces and want a truly gourmet sauce to liven up your dishes.

“My food is basic. Italians don’t smother their food in their sauce. They use sauces to complement and enhance their food, and not overpower it. And I wanted a Gourmet Topping that would be worthy of that tradition. And I’m proud to say that Rose Romano’s is.” – Rose Romano.

This sauce was the perfect complement to my dish. It combines all the flavors I love in a good sauce. It was sweet, mild and low-sodium so you can really enjoy all the delicate flavors it has to offer. It tastes like you simmered your own sauce all day and no one would guess it came out of a jar. It is also all natural and does not contain any synthetic preservatives. Take a look at the ingredients…

Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Fresh Red Bell Peppers, Fresh Onions, Brown Sugar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Fresh Basil, Fresh Garlic, Sea Salt, Fruit Juice for Color, Citric Acid, Spices.

Perfectly simple and perfectly delicious.

A big thank you to Rose Romano’s for sharing this wonderful sauce with me and my readers!

I posted the picture of these Eggplant Stacks on Facebook and it created quite a buzz!! So, at 7:23 am in the morning, I am writing away to share this with you all before the day gets away from me. And caring for three small children, it will do just that. 😉

I guess everyone loves Eggplant as much as I do!

Baked Eggplant Stacks

A twist on a classic Italian meal with baked eggplant slices stacked with cashew ricotta, balsamic infused baby spinach and a sweet red pepper sauce.

Author: Virtually Vegan Mama

Recipe type: entrée

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants, sliced lengthwise into ½ inch slices (18 slices)
1 (16 oz) Rose Romano’s Italian Peppers Marinara with Red Bell Pepper
1 (9 oz) bag of baby spinach, rinsed
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable stock
sea salt (optional) and freshly ground black peppers
dried parsley flakes
dried basil flakes

For Cashew Ricotta:

¾ cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4 hours
¼ cup pine nuts, soaked in water for 4 hours
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ tbsp mellow white miso
½ tsp onion powder
non-dairy milk, for thinning
sea salt (optional) and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

For the Eggplant:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Place eggplant slices on non-stick baking tray, baking mat or parchment lined tray. Lightly brush both sides of slices with olive oil. Alternately, you can brush each slice with vegetable stock. Sprinkle both sides of slices lightly with dried parsley, basil and salt (if using) and black pepper.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until golden brown on both sides. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Decrease oven to 375 degrees F.

For the Cashew Ricotta:

Drain soaked cashews and pine nuts. In a food processor or high-powered blender, add remaining ingredients and process until smooth and creamy. Use some non-dairy milk to thin it out if needed. You want a ricotta-like consistency. If it is too thick, when you bake the stacks the cashew ricotta will harden.

For Spinach Layer:

Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and balsamic vinegar. Toss until wilted and most of the water has evaporated, 2-3 minutes. Season with sea salt (optional) and fresh black pepper. Set aside.

To make the Eggplant Stacks:

Lightly spray a non-stick baking tray with cooking spray, or line a tray with a non-stick baking mat or parchment paper. Make your stacks. Begin with eggplant on bottom, ladle sauce on top, baby spinach and then cashew ricotta. Repeat to make two layers ending with an eggplant slice, tomato sauce and a dollop of cashew ricotta (makes 6 stacks).
Bake in 375 Degree F preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.

Notes

If you want higher stacks you will need one more eggplant and you will need to double batch the cashew ricotta and the spinach.

Now you have a light and healthy meal to enjoy tonight for dinner. These eggplant stacks are bursting with flavor and will rock your world! You are definitely going to enjoy this recipe and it will be in your rotation for sure!

Enjoy and have a great day! Please share your thoughts to liven up this place!

xoxo,

Jen =)

My children love french fries, what kid doesn’t? Okay, and I confess so do the adults around our house. I prefer to make mine at home so I can make sure they are not deep fried in unhealthy oils and loaded with sodium.

I have been dreaming about making these eggplant fries for a couple of weeks now. I have had zucchini fries at restaurants in the past and considered making that – I will definitely be trying those out since these came out perfect. If you have had zucchini fries at a restaurant you know that they are deep fried and definitely not healthy. I hate to think all the nutritional benefits of vegetables are just destroyed by deep-frying and dumping huge amounts of salt on them. I personally don’t think that even tastes good anymore. I want to taste my food and not salt, butter, or oil – how about you?

I love eggplant because it is downright delicious and it’s such a versatile vegetable that can be cooked in so many ways. It is also an important antioxidant vegetable that makes a wonderful addition to your diet. It is loaded with vitamin A, B, C folate and minerals like potassium. It is rich in dietary fiber, contains no fat and is low in calories. How perfect, right?

I did a quick search for eggplant fries to see what delicious recipes were out there. Most were deep fried like I thought they would be, but I did find a great one at Dianne’s Dishes. I used her method for cutting the fries because I definitely needed a visual on that – check it out. Thank you Dianne for this and for my recipe inspiration.

Baked Eggplant Fries with Lemon Dill Dipping Sauce

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

Author: Virtually Vegan Mama

Recipe type: Appetizer, Side

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For fries:
1 eggplant, cut into strips
⅓ cup unsweetened plain soy yogurt
1 tbsp. dried parsley
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 cups whole-wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
For dip:
1 cup unsweetened plain soy yogurt
1 tsp. dill
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Fresh black pepper to taste

Instructions

For fries:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with a non-stick baking mat or parchment paper. Cut the top and bottom off of your eggplant. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and then into quarters. Next, cut the eggplant quarters into slices roughly ¼ in. thick. Now cut the eggplant slices into strips roughly the size of French fries. Combine yogurt, parsley, garlic powder, paprika, ground cumin, onion powder, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl. Toss eggplant fries in soy yogurt mixture, coating evenly. Place breadcrumbs on a plate and lightly coat eggplant fries with breadcrumbs. Spread out evenly on trays making sure they don’t touch. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Turn halfway during baking to brown evenly. Serve immediately with lemon dill dipping sauce.
For dip:
Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour to chill and allow flavors to combine.

Notes

Without dip: 141 calories, 4.7 grams sugar, 1.3 grams fat, 28.3 grams carbohydrates, 5.9 grams protein For dip: You can add cut up cucumber to this to make it traditional Tzatziki Sauce.

Here’s a great review of Baked Eggplant Fries done by Healthy Girl’s Kitchen check it out!

Have you tries Baked Eggplant Fries before, what do you think?