Oven Baked Eggplant

I am entering week eight of Vegandom. Yes, that’s right, I said Vegandom. When I say it in my head I imagine it is coming out of a loud announcer with a deep voice, like Jan Gabriel….. but I digress. This week I will be participating in my uber sweet friend Rachel’s Mouthwater Monday. While my cooking skills are no where up to par with hers, I am going to join in every week with a little vegan twist. Plus, it will force me to try different recipes instead of getting stuck in the ‘same meal‘ rut. It’s a win win all around!

I had been scouring the interet for some new recipes when I came across this one. When I read that I had to “soak the eggplant in salt for 30 minutess”, I knew I had a winner. Hubby is addicted to salt – he salts everything. Look at how pretty and sparkly they look all salted up!

Salted to Perfection

Ok, now on to the recipe!

• Slice eggplant about 1/4″ thick
• Salt heavily and allow to stand for 30 minutes
• Rinse well and drain.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Spray cookie sheet with Pam
• Lightly brush eggplant with olive oil
• Place on cookie sheet and season with garlic salt, oregano and pepper
• Sprinkle parmesan cheese over eggplant (ok, this is where I cheated)
• Bake 15 minutes, flip, and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until brown
• Serve atop organic whole wheat pasta and sauce

Delicious!

Now, I am aware that I added parmesan cheese, which in all honesty, makes it not completely vegan. I typically use a soy cheese substitute which melts really nicely on veggie burgers and pizza but was not sure how it would bake considering I had to bake the eggplant on each side. Next time I plan on cooking the eggplant without the parmesan and just add the soy cheese at the end.

What did you make this weekend?  Be sure to visit A Southern Fairytale to see what everyone else is making in the kitchen! Your taste buds will thank you for it!