Cashew Cheese Stuffed Eggplant

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Being dairy-free on the ketogenic diet can be trying.  All of those gooey, cheesy recipes look so good...and anyone who is dairy-free knows that good vegan "cheese" is hard to come by.  This recipe, however, I promise, will not leave you longing for the real deal.

I remember when my husband and I lived in our first house and would often eat out.  (You know...in my previous life before MS.)  Anyway, we LOVED this tiny little Italian restaurant that was only a couple miles from our door.  We found ourselves there many Friday nights, coupon from the local paper in hand, ready to chow down.  They had many delicious foods at this restaurant, but NOTHING touched their stuffed eggplant.  The waiter, Sam, did not even need to ask me what I wanted when I showed up.  He would simply bring it to the table, and oftentimes, would slide into the booth beside me and chat up my husband and me.  Such good memories...but I don't have to just leave it in my memory!  So....in an effort to recreate that recipe in a way that would fit in with my current lifestyle (and make Sam proud), I made up this Cashew-Cheese Stuffed Eggplant.  I already know you are going to LOVE this one.


                                        


Cashew Cheese-Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients
For the "breading"...
2 cups almond meal
1 cup milled flax seed
1/2 cup chia seeds
Italian Seasoning (to taste)

For the "cheese"...
1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

2 eggs (more, if needed)
1 large eggplant, sliced
Low-carb tomato sauce (I use store-bought...just be sure to check the carbs!)
Coconut Oil for Frying

 Instructions
1. Thinly slice the eggplant width-wise into little rounds.
2. Prepare your "breading" for the eggplant.  Mix together the almond meal, flax seed, chia seed, and italian seasoning in a bowl.  In another bowl, beat 2 eggs.
3.  Dip the eggplant rounds, one at a time, in the egg.  Coat the eggplant completely, then dip it in the "breading" mixture.  Be sure to coat both sides.  Repeat this process with all of the eggplant rounds.
4. Heat the coconut oil on low.  When the oil is ready, put the eggplant pieces in the oil without layering them.  Fry until golden brown and then flip to the other side.  When browned, remove the eggplant from the pan to a plate.  Cover with foil to keep warm.
5.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6.  Drain the cashews after soaking them overnight.  Add all of the "cheese" ingredients to a food processor.  Pulse until completely blended.  Add more olive oil if needed to get a cream cheese consistency.
7.  Set up your individual stuffed eggplants by layering as many layers as you would like of eggplant, cashew cheese, and sauce.  I like about 4 layers of each.  Top off with a bit of sauce and cashew cheese.
8.  Heat in the oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through.

Enjoy!

-Gail

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