Vegetarian Moussaka

Vegetarian Moussaka Recipe Description

Vegetarian Moussaka is an eggplant and potato based dish, which is popular in Greece, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. The word 'moussaka' comes from the Arabic meaning chilled, because it is eaten cold in the Arabic world. The modern version of vegetarian moussaka, which includes bechamel sauce, was developed by a Greek chef named normallyTselementes in the 1920s. The Turkish and Balkan contains pork; however, Tselementes also invented a vegetarian version of Moussaka without any meat or dairy. An updated variety of that can be found below. You will certainly love this dish! It contains many different vegetables and seasonings that will please your palette.

Vegetarian Moussaka Nutrition

Vegetarian Moussaka has many beneficial ingredients for your health, such as potatoes, which are much healthier when the peel stays on. Potatoes sometimes get a bad reputation because of their carbohydrate content. Most people also eat them when they have been deep fried. However, you will find a high amount of vitamin C, B6, fibre, and potassium there. Potatoes also have a high phenolic content, which protects against cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, and some cancers. They also decrease blood pressure. Vitamin B6 builds amino acids and aids in the production of serotonin, a lack of which is tied to depression, melatonin, which helps sleep, and norepinephrine, which improves our response to stress.

The recipe below has received rave reviews, and has been used by many of our customers! It only has 243 calories and 19% of the fibre you need for the day. It also has 10 grammes of protein, about 21% of your daily requirement. If you wish, you can add a side salad for even more vegetables. This is perfect for a warming dinner in the cold of winter. Everyone will enjoy it! Make sure you leave enough time to make this vegetarian moussaka as it is quite labour intensive to do well.

Ingredients

Bechamel Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup soy milk

Filling:

• 4 medium potatoes
• 1 large eggplant
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 10 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 package Yves (or other) veggie ground round (simulated ground beef)
• Seasoning: olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and bay leaf

Method:

1. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1/4 thick slices. Cut the top and bottom off the eggplant and cut into 1/2 thick slices. Place potatoes and eggplant onto broiling pan, and drizzle with the olive oil, as well as a shake of salt and pepper (you may have to divide into two batches, due to space). Broil for about 10 mins on each side, or until you notice that the potatoes are golden, and the eggplant is steaming and slightly mushy. Turn off oven but leave potatoes and eggplant inside to keep them warm.
2. In a skillet, fry the onion and ground round in some oil (I recommend grape seed for cooking) until onions are translucent.
3. In a large bowl, combine chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini and red pepper with onion and ground round mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. To make a bechamel sauce, melt the margarine in a saucepan over low heat, and mix in flour but don't allow it to brown. Once you have a mushy mixture, SLOWLY add some soy milk. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon, then add more soy milk, etc... until mixture is thick and creamy. Place a bay leaf in the mixture as it thickens to add some flavour.
5. Preheat oven to 375F.
6. Now to combine everything: In a large ovenproof dish, layer the bottom with some eggplant slices, top with the filling mix, then potato slices, then filling and so forth. Finally, pour the bechamel sauce over the whole thing.
7. Bake covered for 30 mins and then uncovered for another 20 mins (to evaporate some of the juices). Serve with plain soy yoghurt and soy feta, and some nice crusty vegan bread. Tastes even better the next day!