I found this recipe a while ago, and bookmarked it.  I knew that one day soon I would think to myself, hmmm, I feel like cooking something different today.  And today was the day.  I am often happy to cook meals that I have cooked many times before, as they involve little thought, unlike Veghead, who much prefers something new and exciting to come from the kitchen.  The original recipe I found on the blog of Carol J. Adams, who was given the recipe by Shirley Wilkes-Johnson, apparently a vegan who had been around for a very long time.  I changed the recipe around a little bit, due to our preferences, and reduced the amounts significantly as there were only two of us eating it, not ten.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large eggplant, stem end cut off and sliced into 1/2-inch slices
• 3 medium potatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 tab extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small or 1/2 medium chopped onion
• 1 inch slice of red capsicum, chopped
• 120g mushrooms, chopped or quartered
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup passata (recipe called for 1 tab tomato paste but we didn’t have any)
• here the recipe calls for 1 package ground beef style veggie meat (I have no idea how much that is as the recipe is American). I used chickpeas, 1 or 1 1/2 cups, which are yum, unlike the sound of that fake meat.
• 2 tabs fresh parsley
• 1/2 tspn cumin powder
• 1/4 tspn salt
• 1/4 tspn black pepper
• 1/8 tspn each cinnamon and nutmeg

Bechamel sauce ingredients:

• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 tabs cornstarch
• a couple of thin slices of onion, finely chopped (the recipe called for powdered onion, but why would you bother)
• 1/2 tspn salt
• 1/8 tspn pepper

What to do:

Preheat oven to 204.4 repeater degrees celsius (this is the metric conversion of 400 fahrenheit).  205 degrees is probably OK.  Place the eggplant and potato slices on well oiled baking trays and brush them with more oil.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

While the eggplant and potatoes are roasting, sauté onions, capsicum and mushrooms in olive oil over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or so.

Stir in tomatoes and passata until mixed.  Add chickpeas and the herbs and spices.

In an oiled baking dish, add a layer of eggplant slices, then a layer of potato slices.  Add a layer of the chickpea mixture then cover with potato slices, then the rest of the eggplant slices.

To make the Béchamel sauce, blend all the ingredients together and bring to a low boil, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.  Pour sauce over eggplant.

Bake at 176.667 degrees celsius for about 30 to 35 minutes.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Leftovers are good the next day.  This statement is actually written in the recipe but I think that is so obvious that it doesn’t need to be said at all.