Vegan Yum Yum’s blog was one of the first blogs I started reading after becoming vegan. I loved her food and her photos so when I saw she had a cookbook coming out I knew I was going to buy it. Lucky I did cause it is one of my favourites. All the recipes from her book look delicious and taste just as good. I made these guys for a lunch we were having with a vegan friend. I was a little nervous as I had never cooked for another vegan before. I cooked for my non-vegan family but that was about it. So I was worried my food might not be up to vegan standards. I made these as the entrée portion of the lunch. They were so good. The eggplant cream was amazingly good and fitted perfectly with the roasted vegetables. This was a fairly simple dish to prepare too but looks impressive. I could have eaten these for the entire lunch!
Makes 12 Miniature Napoleons, with leftover crème
Further instructional photos for this recipe can be found at Vegan Yum Yum (check it out!).
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 3-4 Plum Tomatoes, sliced thickly (at least 12 slices, between 1/4″ and 1/2″)
- 1 Zucchini, sliced thickly (at least 12 slices)
- 12 Cremini Mushroom Caps, de-stemmed and brushed clean
- Tamari or Soy Sauce
- Salt
- Pepper
- Dried Italian Herbs (your choice!)
- Spray Oil
Eggplant Crème
- 2 Eggplants
- 2/3 Cup Raw, Unsalted Cashews
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Dried Italian Herbs (your choice)
- 2ish tbsp Oil
- Garlic, to taste, if desired
Garnish
- Basil
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
Directions
| 1. | Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300º F. Slice the tomatoes and zucchini and place them on baking sheet with a baking mat, similar to a silpat or foil or parchment. Spray with oil to coat (or brush if you don’t have the spray stuff). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and herbs. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the veggies look dehydrated and smaller. |
| 2. | Place the mushrooms on the same baking sheet, upside-down. Fill the centres with a little tamari, no more than 1/2 or 1 tsp. Spray them thoroughly with spray-oil and bake for 30 minutes, or until tender, at 150ºC/300º F. Remove and let cool with the over veggies. |
| 3. | While the vegetables are baking, cut the ends off the eggplants and remove the skin. Cube the eggplants and place them on a large dish on top of three paper towels. (You’ll probably need to do this in batches). Microwave the eggplant on high for about 8 minutes, until the eggplant is soft and the paper towels have absorbed a lot of the moisture. This will prevent the eggplant from absorbing so much oil while cooking. |
| 4. | Heat a seasoned wok or a non-stick pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the eggplant and sauté for 5-10 minutes over medium-high heat, until very soft and browned. Add the eggplant to the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the salt, cashews, herbs and garlic (if using) and process for several minutes until smooth. Season to taste, if needed. |
| 5. | To assemble: Start with a little dot of eggplant crème on the plate where you want the napoleon to be. This will act as an anchor. Either use a spoon or place the eggplant crème in a piping bag or a plastic baggie with one of the corners cut off. Place a tomato on top of the anchor, and spoon/pipe more eggplant crème on the top. Not too much! Add a slice of zucchini, then another layer of eggplant cream. Top with an upside-down mushroom cap, and place a dab of eggplant crème where the stem was. For garnish, add a small piece of roasted tomato and a basil-leaf crown. Put a thin layer of olive oil in the bottom of the dish, surrounding the napoleons. Dribble balsamic vinegar into the oil, and you’ll get pretty little contrasting dots. Serve warm or at room temperature. |
 | Vegan MoFo 2010 Day 21 comes from: Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining and Everyday by Lauren Ulm This recipe and further instructional photos for this recipe can be found at Vegan Yum Yum. |
