I followed the recipe from Minimalist Baker, my new go to for vegetarian meals and more! There are so many recipes, ranging from tonic teas and plant-based milk, to spice mixes and homemade chocolate bars. On the Minimalist Baker website, you can search for recipes and sort by season, recipe type, or diet. The most useful sorting filters for me are ingredient and cuisine! I highly recommend checking this website out for yourself.
The recipe was originally for eggplant stuffed Moroccan lentils, but I decided to follow the other method of eggplant roll-ups. I used Chinese eggplants instead of the larger, fatter ones, but these lended better to the roll-up method. The lentils had a smoky flavor from the many tablespoons of the paprika, as well as a slight kick from the cayenne, and a depth of flavor from the myriad of other spices. I served it with vegan parmesan cheese from again, Minimalist Baker! It’s basically ground cashews with oregano, some salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to round the flavor out. It also doesn’t require nutritional yeast!
Ingredients:
- 2 medium eggplants, halved and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 tbsp salt plus extra
- 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed
- pinch of salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 cup lentils, rinsed
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed and rough-chopped
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 3/4 cups crushed tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped parsley for garnish
Directions:
- Salt eggplants and place in a colander. Rest for 15 minutes to get rid of excess water.
- Mix rice, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, pinch of salt, and 1.5 cups of water in a rice cooker. Cook on “white rice” setting, then let it sit with the “keep warm” setting for 15 minutes before fluffing and serving the rice.
- Bring lentils and 2 cups of water to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Add extra water as needed until fully cooked.
- In a blender, blend remaining ingredients, except parsley, adding more spice to taste.
- When eggplants are ready, rinse in clean water. Preheat oven to 475F and place eggplants between towels, place two baking sheets on top, to drain.
- When lentils are cooked through, rinse thoroughly with water and drain.
- Return lentils to the pot, add sauce, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for at least 5 minutes to cook through.
- When oven is ready, reduce temperature to 375F and cook eggplants on parchment lined baking sheets for 13–15 minutes, until browned.
- When both lentil mixture and eggplants are ready, you can begin assembly. Line a casserole dish with about half of the sauce. Then, place a small spoonful of the lentil mixture on the end of an eggplant strip, and roll up. Place in the casserole dish and continue. Careful, don’t burn your fingers!
- Bake at 375F for 15 minutes to heat through.
- Garnish with vegan parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Serve on top of rice, enjoy!
