Polenta Crusted Eggplant Parmesan

Tonight, I made my version of the Polenta Crusted Eggplant Parmesan from the Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook.  All of the recipes in this book are vegan and many of them are produce heavy.

This is the second time I've made this, and the recipe is a big hit.  Here are my tweaks:

--I use one regular eggplant instead of the two smaller Japanese eggplants

--I use actual parmesan and mozzarella, rather than the vegan kind.  Specifically, I got smoked mozzarella from Maplebrook Farms.

--I use olive oil instead of grapespeed oil.

--Rather than using canned diced tomatoes and vegan gravy, I make my own sauce with five fresh tomatoes (I used both red and yellow), half a white onion, a cup of mushrooms, six cloves of garlic, a tablespoon (give or take) of dried oregano, and a scant handful of chopped basil.  I saute the onion and mushrooms until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are soft.  Then I add the garlic and saute it until it's golden.  Then I toss in the tomatoes and the oregano and let it bubble, and then let it go on low for about 15-20 minutes, until it thickens to a saucey consistency.  When it's done, I toss in the fresh basil and then remove it from heat.

This time, I did use the vegan mayo.  The last time, I dipped it in egg to get the topping to stick.  Either way works fine.  I noticed that mine don't look as "crusty" as the one in the picture, likely because I don't get as much of the polenta mixture on there.  What I should likely do is double the "breading" if I'm going to continue using a large eggplant.

We served tonight's with leftover pearled couscous and leftover steamed broccoli and cauliflower mix.