Traditionally calledmaghmouracross Lebanon, this Middle Eastern dish uses exotic spices for its home-grown version of the Greekmoussakayou may already know. Bursting with chickpeas, tomatoes, avocado oil, eggplant, and more, this hearty, healthy dish can easily become an easy yet flavorful dish any night of the week.
LEBANESE VEGAN MOUSSAKA
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Servings
8-10
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (two 14-ounce cans), drained and rinsed
- ½ cup gluten-free flour blend (may substitute all-purpose flour)
- 2 large eggplants, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch disks
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2 tbsp Ava Jane’s Extra Virgin Avocado Oil
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½ tsp Ava Jane’s Kitchen Colima Sea Salt
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2 tbsp Ava Jane’s Kitchen Extra Virgin Avocado Oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 large tomatoes, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- Juice of half a lemon
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½ tsp Ava Jane’s Kitchen Colima Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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2 tbsp plus 1 ½ tsp ground allspice
- 2 tbsp plus 1 ½ tsp ground cloves
- 2 tbsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tbsp ground fenugreek
- 2 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp ground cinnamon
SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
SPICE BLEND (MADE IN BULK. COMBINE ALL SPICES TOGETHER.)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, 4 tsp of 7-spice blend (all the spices blended together) and salt on a large plate. Dab each side of the eggplant disks in the flour mix so they are lightly coated, then lay them on the lined baking sheets, drizzling with the oil and baking until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool while you make the tomato sauce.
- For the sauce: Heat avocado oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently until it starts to soften, or roughly 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the cumin and bay leaf and cook, continuing to stir frequently for 2 minutes.
- Stir in chopped fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, diced canned tomatoes, maple syrup, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a thick sauce forms, reducing for 30 to 40 minutes. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Turn off the heat, and remove the bay leaf.
- To assemble, create a layer of about one-third of the baked eggplant disks in the bottom of a baking dish. Top with about one-third of the chickpeas and one-third of the sauce. Repeat in two more layers, finishing with the sauce. Layer additional eggplant atop the sauce if desired.
- Bake (uncovered) until bubbling around the edges, about 40 minutes. Let cool slightly, and serve warm.