Vegan Eggplant Parmigiana

I just love how Italian food offers the perfect combination of white, creamy smoothness with red, tomatoey richness. You needn't lose any of the flavour when you make vegan versions of these traditional meals. This parmigiana dish in particular offers a taste explosion with every fork full. The eggplant is cooked so that it melts in your mouth and the vegan parmesan gives the same distinct flavour as the real thing. This dish is also bursting with the goodness of nuts, but you wouldn't even realise it without being told.

First:

Make some vegan parmesan according to my recipe here. It's quick and easy to conjure up and is simply a matter of putting four ingredients in the vitamix/food processor.

Then:

Take 8 medium sized eggplants (aubergines), cut lengthways into 1cm thick slices, lightly brush with extra virgin olive oil on both sides and bake in the oven for 20 minutes on gas mark 6.

While the eggplant is baking, make the red sauce:

Fry the following over a medium heat in a little olive oil:

1 bulb of garlic, minced

1 large onion, finely diced

When the onions look 'glassy', add:

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Stir and fry for 1 minute more before adding:

5 tins chopped tomatoes

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

¼ cup tomato paste

Stir and leave to simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes, then take it off the heat.

Then make the white sauce:

Put the following ingredients in the vitamix/food processor and blend until totally smooth:

2 cups cashew nuts

1 cup almonds

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 small lemon, peeled

1 tsp sea salt

2½ cups water

Then it's time to layer the dish in a large baking tray.

Evenly spread ⅓ of the red sauce across the bottom of the baking tray.

Then place ⅓ of the cooked eggplant slices on top of the red sauce:

Evenly spread ⅓ of the white sauce on top of the eggplants slices.

Then sprinkle ¼ cup of vegan parmesan on top of the white sauce:

Then repeat this process two more times.

For the final layer, mix ½ cup of parmesan with ½ cup of bread crumbs (I use gluten free bread crumbs) and sprinkle this on top:

Your final dish should be layered like this:

Finally, bake in the oven, on gas mark 6, for 30 minutes. The mixture should be browned on top and bubbling.

I like to serve it with rosemary potato wedges and a tomato and vegan feta salad:

To make the salad, I slice large tomatoes and layer them in a dish, then liberally sprinkle sea salt and ground black pepper on top. I then add small cubes of vegan feta cheese (I use Sainsbury's free-from feta), along with sliced spring onions, and pour a dressing on top made from olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mustard. I then repeat these ingredients in a second layer:

Finally, tuck in and enjoy your Mediterranean feast!