Vegan Moussaka

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 700 g potatoes
• 500 g eggplant(s)
• 125 g green spelt meal
• 280 ml vegetable stock
• 1 can tomatoes, chopped
• 1 onion(s)
• 3 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp cumin
• 3 tsp oregano
• 3 tsp paprika powder, smoked
• 3 tbsp margarine
• 3 tbsp flour
• 600 ml soy milk (soy drink)
• nutmeg
• 100 g cheese substitute, grated, vegan
• Agave syrup
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

Peel and slice the potatoes, peel the onion and garlic, dice the onion, and chop the garlic. Cut the eggplant into approximately 6-8 mm thick slices, season with salt on both sides, and let stand for approximately 1/2 hour. Then dry with kitchen paper and fry briefly and vigorously on both sides in olive oil. Drain on kitchen paper. Simmer the green spelt in the broth on low heat for approximately 15 mm, adding a little more water/broth if necessary. Remove the pot from the heat and let it swell for a while (also approximately 1/4 hour). Cook the potato slices in salted water for approximately 5 minutes, until almost tender. For the grain “mince” mixture, sauté the onion in a pan, add the garlic, then add the green spelt and the spices (cumin, oregano, smoked paprika) to the pan and fry briefly. Now add the tomatoes, mix everything together, season with salt and pepper, and if desired, add a little agave syrup, and let it simmer for a few minutes. For the béchamel sauce, melt the margarine in a saucepan and whisk in the flour. Gradually add the soy milk. Remove the pan from the heat briefly, stir in the milk, and heat on the stovetop while stirring until it simmers and thickens. Add salt and a little grated nutmeg. Now layer everything in a baking dish: first half of the potatoes, then the eggplants, overlapping them, then the cereal mixture, and then the remaining potatoes. Then pour the béchamel sauce over the mixture and sprinkle with the vegan grated cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (top and bottom heat) for about 40 minutes. If necessary, use the broiler for the last 5 minutes to give everything a nice golden brown color. It may take some timing to coordinate all the work steps, but the effort is worth it.