red pepper pesto with grilled eggplant

Last night I wanted to make something fresh, and different with very little prep time. I had some leftover refried black beans from a cookbook review and I wanted to make good use of it.

I was toying with the idea of using up some of the jarred red peppers I had in the fridge, without having to resort to freezing them, as I will normally do after I open a jar. Because I was a little remiss in doing that with this jar a few weeks ago, I was worried it was going to spoil. So with that introduction, this sauce/dish was born: Grilled Eggplant with Red Pepper Pesto.

I am a huge proponent of grilling vegetables because you can get away with using little or no oil, and grilling eggplant is one of my favorite ways of tackling this fruit/vegetable. Slice 2 pounds of eggplant into 1/2-inch rounds or planks. Use a grill pan and grill the eggplant for 2 minutes. Cover your pan to trap the smoke (therefore smoking your eggplant in the process, too) and after 2 minutes move each slice about 45-degrees. Grill for 2 more minutes, flip and repeat.

A few reasons to cook it this way (grilling covered and moving the eggplant 45-degrees), and neither are that it makes the eggplant look pretty.

1. It cooks the eggplant through. Tough eggplant is great for jerky, but not for this recipe.
2. It prevents the eggplant from burning, which would make the burnt parts bitter.

Then use the eggplant as you desire.

I chose to smother my eggplant with this deliciously delightful Red Pepper Pesto. The pesto consists of jarred peppers, nutritional yeast, toasted pistachios, garlic, oregano and salt and pepper. And, to make it creamy and tangy without adding oil, I added a few tablespoons of yogurt. Which made it perfect! Buzz the whole thing in a food processor and it is ready.

I just layered my eggplant,

with refried black beans (or not, your choice), and added some pesto, then repeated until I had no more eggplant left.

I added the rest of the pesto to the top and baked the whole thing until hot. I topped it with some parsley and fresh bread crumbs, but you totally don't have to.

If you are making the bread crumbs, blend 2 or 3 slices of whole grain bread and toast it in a skillet until dry, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. You can add a few tablespoons of oil, if you want, but I didn't find it necessary. Mix in a few tablespoons of parsley for added flavor, nutrition and color, and serve.

Red Pepper Pesto
Makes about 1 1/2 cups


4 jarred, roasted red peppers
1/2 cup toasted pistachios
3 tablespoons unsweetened, plain nondairy yogurt (use almond or soy. Coconut might add coconut flavor)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano
Sea salt and black pepper


1. Add the peppers, pistachios, yogurt, yeast, garlic, oregano and salt and pepper, to taste, to a food processor. Process until it is as smooth as you like it. I like some small bits of pistachio still evident. If you like a very smooth pesto, add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. 
2. Taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Serve as a dip, on pasta or over grilled eggplant. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  



© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

umami burger

After making Wednesday's Chipotle Firm Vegan Cheese, I wanted to have something to put it on, so I came up with this Umami Burger. Umami is our other taste, besides salty, sweet, bitter and sour, and roughly translates to mean meaty or savory. It is the same depth of flavor that is in greens, tomatoes, soy sauce and miso.

This is a simple burger, but it is packed with chard (or kale), beans, miso and garlic and is then topped with the Chipotle Firm Vegan Cheese, jalapenos, a grilled tomato and soy curls bacon bits. My husband thought that a few pickle slices and some vegan mayo couldn't hurt, either. 

First thing to do is make the bacon bits - or you can use any bacon you like: barley, tempeh, tofu, seitan, mushroom, etc. If you need some good bacon recipes, Baconish has you covered. 

If, however, you have the dregs from the bottom of your soy curls bag (or you have some TVP or whole soy curls, which you can grind into bits), then make the bacon first. It's pretty easy.

Then make the burger by pulsing the ingredients in your food processor and then giving it a few minutes' knead to develop the gluten. If you'd rather not use the gluten, then use quick oats. Bake the patties and cool about 30 minutes before using. 

Then, grill the thick tomato slices, grill the patties and top with the cheese and bacon bits. Add jalapenos and pickles and serve right away. Enjoy!

Umami Burger

Makes 5 patties

Burger patties:

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans

1/2 cup packed chopped steamed greens (squeeze excess water from greens before measuring)

1/2 cup vital wheat gluten or 1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 teaspoons dark miso (not mellow white miso)

Sea salt

For serving:

Thick cut grilled tomatoes

Chipotle Firm Vegan Cheese, sliced

Bacon Bits (recipe below) or other vegan bacon

Burger buns, toasted

Jalapeno slices

Pickle slices

1. Preheat the oven to 300-degrees F. Add the beans, greens, gluten, garlic and miso to a food processor. Pulse twenty times to break up the beans and miso. Transfer to a large bowl and knead until gluten threads form. Add salt to taste. Divide the mixture into 5 portions and form each portion into a 2-inch in diameter patty. 

2. Place the burgers on a baking sheet and add 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 15 minutes. Flip and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to firm up, about 30 minutes.

3. Heat a medium grill pan over medium heat. First grill the tomatoes, about 3 minutes per side and keep warm. Spray the patties with oil and grill them for 5 minutes. Warm the cheese slices in a separate skillet to begin melting them. 

4. Flip the burgers and add the warmed cheese and then add the grilled tomatoes. Cover the pan and continue to grill for another 5 minutes or until the burger is marked and the cheese melts. 

5. Make the burgers by adding them to the bottom of a toasted bun. Top with bacon bits and jalapeno slices, and pickles, if using. Top with the burger buns and serve. 

Bacon Bits:

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup reduced-sodium tamari

2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup soy curl grounds (from the bottom of a bag or ground soy curls)

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon neutral oil (optional)

1. Combine the water, tamari, Worcestershire, smoke, yeast, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil and add the soy curls. Mix well, remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. Add the hydrated curls to a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until almost crisp. Add the oil and stir about 20 minutes into the baking time.It is important to stir every 5 minutes to avoid burning the curls. 

2. The bits will become more crisp as they cool. Store in airtight container as soon as cooled. 

© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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