Speed Vegan Publisher: The Book Publishing Company © 2010 by Alan Roettinger ISBN: 157067244X

Reprinted with permission from the publisher, The Book Publishing Company.

Hot Eggplant and Seitan Open-Face Sandwiches (p.54)
Makes 4 servings

I was imagining possible ways to use seitan when this combination came to me. Even my eighty-four-year-old mother enjoyed it. If you have any fresh shiitake mushrooms, they would go well too; slice them and add them to the sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 medium-size eggplant

• 3 tablespoons almond or extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 cup tomato purée

• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce

• 1 tablespoon dark agave nectar

• 8 ounces seitan, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

• 4 large slices sourdough bread or your favorite French bread

• 8 scallions, thinly sliced

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put a baking pan on the middle rack.
Heat a stovetop grill over high heat.
Prepare the eggplant while the oven and grill are heating. Cut a lengthwise strip off both sides of the eggplant to expose the flesh. Cut the eggplant into 4 thick slices parallel to the cut sides. Combine the almond oil with 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil in a small bowl. Brush the eggplant slices very lightly on both sides with about half of the oil mixture. Arrange them in a single layer on a plate or tray. Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with the salt.

Put the eggplant on the hot grill and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the eggplant to the baking pan in the oven. Keep the grill hot.

To make the sauce, combine the tomato purée, hoisin sauce, agave nectar, and remaining teaspoon of sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Toss the seitan slices with the remaining oil mixture. Put them on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes on each side.

Toast the bread slices and put one slice on each plate. Put an eggplant slice on each piece of toast. Divide the hot seitan and sauce among the 4 slices, covering the eggplant. Sprinkle with the scallions and sesame seeds.

Serve at once.

Per serving: calories: 485, protein: 49 g, fat: 15 g, carbohydrate: 37 g, fiber: 5 g, sodium: 646 mg, omega_3 fatty acids: 0.08 g