recipe: eggplant parm

taken from: Allrecipes.com 

changes: 
- followed recommendations to "sweat" the eggplant before baking it (added in instructions below)
- used an Italian panko breadcrumb instead of regular breadcrumbs (which i will not use moving forward for breading anything)
- scaled down to 5 servings (from 10. recipe for 5 serving posted below)
- baked for 7 minutes per side at 425 F degrees (vs 5 minutes per @ 350. added in instructions below)

photo taken from allrecipes.com

ingredients list:
- 1 & 1/2 eggplants, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch thickness)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 3 cups spaghetti sauce, divided 
- 1/2 (16 oz) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 tsp dried basil

to make:
sweat the 1/4" slices by sprinkling with sea salt and letting them sit for 30 minutes (i let mine sit in colanders so both sides can breathe). rinse, and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. 

preheat oven to 425 F degrees. 

dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. place in a single layer on a baking sheet. bake in preheated oven for 7 minutes per side.  

decrease oven temp to 350 F degrees.

recipe: eggplant bacon

taken from: Minimalist Baker

changes: substituted soy sauce for tamari, left out liquid smoke, added smoked bacon sea salt (original recipe posted below)

ingredients list:
- half of 1 medium eggplant
- 2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 1 & 1/2 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch sea salt
- pinch garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper, plus more for topping

to make:
preheat oven to 225 degrees F. line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

cut the 1/2 eggplant in half lengthwise once more so you have two long, skinny pieces. use a sharp knife or mandolin to slice into very thin strips (resembling the size/shape or bacon). they should be about 1/8 inch. set aside. 

recipe: cauliflower crust (for quiche)

photo from Fresh April Flours

taken from: Fresh April Flours

changes: none - made exactly as written

ingredients list:
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, stems removed 
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

to make: 
spray and 8" or 9" pie dish with non-stick spray and set aside. cut cauliflower into pieces, removing as much stem as possible while keeping the florets in tact. rinse florets in a strainer or colander.

pulse florets in a food processor until they resemble corn meal. place in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 4-5 minutes. when fully cooked, set aside and allow to cool for 10 min. after it has completely cooled, use a strong kitchen towel and wring out all of the moisture. transfer dry cauliflower back to the bowl. 

preheat oven to 450 F degrees. in a small bowl, blend together the Parmesan cheese, egg, and spices. add to cauliflower and mix together. transfer the dough to a pie dish, smoothing it out to it evenly covers the bottom and sides of the dish. 

bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are brown and the overall crust starts browning. allow to cool on wire rack while quiche (or whatever other filling your using) is prepared. 

results: good -- enough so that we've made this a few times now. i've only used this recipe for vegetable quiches, which it seems to perfectly fit the bill for (and saves quite a few calories) 

recipe: non-dairy (cashew) ricotta

photo from The Simple Veganista 

taken from: The Simple Veganista 

changes: skipped the nutritional yeast

ingredients list: 
- 1 & 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked
- 1/2 cup water (reserved from soaked cashews)
- juice of 1 large lemon or 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast, optional
- 1 garlic clove
- dash of onion powder
- himalayan sea salt & cracked pepper, to taste

to make: 
soak the cashews for at least 2 hours in a bowl of water, covering the cashews with about 2-3 inches of water. 

drain the cashews, reserving 1/2 cup of the water. add reserved water, cashews, and all remaining ingredients into a blender or food processor, and process until creamy, scrapping the sides down every few minutes. add additional seasoning to taste, if needed. 

store in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

results: 
we were skeptical when we tried cashew mozz cheese, but liked it, and even still just as skeptical when we tried cashew ricotta... and liked it. we used it for a mushroom marsala pasta bake and a white pizza with mushrooms... the slight nuttiness of the cashew ricotta worked quite well on both. it was good enough that i'd attempted to make a 100% dairy-free lasagna with this and cashew mozz cheese. 

recipe: general tso's cauliflower

taken from: PureWow

changes: 
- skipped the 5 small dried chiles, added some cracked red pepper
- skipped the 2 tbsp mirin (didn't have any, added 1 tbsp dry sherry)

ingredients list - cauliflower:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup neutral oil (peanut or vegetable)
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets 

ingredients list - sauce:
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 6 scallions, white part finely sliced, green part chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 5 small dried chiles (optional, i subbed some cracked red pepper)
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp mirin 
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- sesame seeds, for garnish

recipe: portobello mushroom stroganoff

taken from: allrecipes.com

changes: substituted chicken broth instead of veggie, increased amount of portobello, added worchestershire & marsala, decreased amount of sour cream, added flour in a slurry instead of straight in the dish

ingredients list:
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 lb portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 1 & 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken or beef)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 8 oz dried egg noodles
- 2 tsp worchestershire
- 2 tsp marsala wine (optional)
- salt & pepper to taste