Grilled Eggplant and Portobello Napoleon

I'm always trying to find an acceptable AND delicious way to substitute for the non-vegan ingredients that I love. I still have yet to find a Tofu Scramble recipe that didn't taste like mashed up tofu with tumeric and various spices (not sounding good to me even if you made it with scrambled eggs!) and, until now, a sub for ricotta cheese. I have finally found one that makes my tummy happy and my mouth smile. Hope that you like it! Don't let the long list of steps put you off...all the steps can be done a day in advance and they really are simple.

Grilled Eggplant & Portobello Napoleon with Fresh Tomato Sauce

and Tofu Ricotta

For the Tomato Sauce:

(2) 14.5 oz. cans of organic diced tomatoes (I like Muir Glen)

1 6 oz. can of organic tomato paste

1/2 of a medium onion, diced

2 t. each of oregano, basil and parsley

1/8c. olive oil

2-4 cloves of garlic, minced (depending on how much woman/man you are)

salt and pepper to taste

*Saute onion in olive oil until soft and slightly browned. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes longer. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. After simmering, use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until desired "chunkiness" or alternately, you could blend the sauce in a blender after simmering (be careful!). This recipe will yield more than you need but is delicious on pasta or as a pizza sauce. It also freezes well!

For the Tofu Ricotta:

1 16 oz. block of firm or extra firm water-packed tofu

3T. lemon juice

3 T . nutritional yeast

1 T. minced garlic

1. T parsley

2t. basil

1T. Sweet White Miso (I like Miso Master)

4 oz. vegan cream cheese ( my ALL time fave is Galaxy Brand Plain vegan cream cheese)

*Drain the tofu for at least 15-30 minutes to release excess water. If you use tofu on any sort of regular basis, I would certainly recommend a Tofu XPress...works wonders! If you don't have one, put the block of tofu in a small colander (set it in the sink!) and weigh it down with a small plate with something heavy on top, like a large can of tomatoes . Now kick yourself for not ordering that Tofu XPress. When the tofu is nice and drained, proceed with the ricotta. Mix the miso and cream cheese well in a bowl (these are the two toughest ingredients to get softened to mix, so it's easier to mix them first. Then add all other ingredients except tofu, incorporating well. Mash the tofu with a fork and the mix into the other ingredients until the texture is somewhat like dairy ricotta.

For the Napoleons:

1 medium eggplant, sliced about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick (8 slices total)

4 portobello caps, somewhat similar in size to the eggplant slices

1/8 c. olive oil + 1T. for brushing the eggplant

3 garlic cloves, minced

1t. each of basil, parsley and oregano or 1T. Italian seasoning blend

*Slice eggplant, peeling optional. I think that the finished dish looks prettier unpeeled, but I prefer the taste of it peeled...you decide. Sprinkle lightly with salt on both sides and place in a dish to "sweat" out the bitterness, about 10 minutes. While the eggplant is sweating, de-stem the mushroom caps and, with a spoon, scrape the dark brown gills from the underneath side. Mix together the 1/8 c. olive oil, garlic cloves and the Italian spices. Using an indoor grill pan or outdoor grill, grill the mushroom caps, brushing with the oil/spice mixture and the eggplant slices, brushed with the 1T. of olive oil and pepper. Turn veggie to create pretty grill marks. When veggies are nice and soft and slightly brown, take off grill and set aside.

To assemble:

In individual casserole dishes or in one large casserole, for each Napoleon, layer tomato sauce, one eggplant slice, (a smear of your favorite pesto can go well here, too), 2T of ricotta, a mushroom cap, another layer of ricotta (and pesto, if using), another eggplant slice then top off the Napoleon with a nice coating of tomato sauce. Bake in a 375 oven for about 20 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned on top. Enjoy!