Eggplant Pesto Rolls
Ingredients:
For the Pesto
½ cup walnuts
2-3 cups basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the Eggplant Rolls
4 large eggplants
Many cracks of sea salt
⅛ cup olive oil
1 heaping Tablespoon crushed garlic
Juice from 1 lemon
2 red bell peppers, roasted and cut into thin strips
Directions:
For the Pesto
Toast the walnuts in a toaster oven for a few minutes — watch closely, they go from browned to black very quickly.
Combine the walnuts, basil, garlic and salt in a food processor, add the olive oil, then the nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Combine until your pesto is a nice consistency — don’t over blend.
For the Eggplant Rolls
Trim the ends from the eggplants and thinly slice, ¼ inch thick, the long way. Arrange on parchment paper lined baking sheets and generously sprinkle with sea salt. Allow the eggplant to sit for 20 minutes, until some liquid is drawn out. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Use a paper towel to wipe the moisture, and most of the salt, from the eggplants.
In a small bowl combine the olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Generously coat the tops of the eggplant with the garlic mixture. Roast in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Let it get really tender. Remove from heat and cool.
Spread 1 Tablespoon of pesto down the center, crosswise, of each slice of roasted eggplant. Top with a strip of bell pepper, then roll and secure with a toothpick. Arrange on a serving platter, and repeat with the remaining eggplant, pesto and bell pepper. Top with chopped, fresh basil and serve chilled.
