by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

Why do we call it “sultry”? Give this showy entree a try and you’ll see. It beckons with a come-hither blend of aromas, colors, and flavors to seduce the senses.

And why a pesto-coulis? Well, it’s our original, merry mating of two different types of sauces. (Please see separate pesto-coulis recipe.)

🙂 Diva Tip: Want additional recipes for a yummy, healthy, romantic vegan feast? Click here for a four-course menu, recipes links, and a little article about who inspired it. Hint: Rescue Diva’s hunni and hero.  😉

SULTRY STACK OF EGGPLANT, SQUASH, AND MUSHROOM WITH PESTO-COULIS (romantic vegan recipe)

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 small eggplant, sliced thinly (max. 1/4 inch)

4 zucchini squash, sliced lengthwise thinly (max. 1/4 inch)

4 yellow crookneck squash, sliced lengthwise thinly (max. 1/4 inch)

8 crimini or baby portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced* (we suggest those 2 but any type will do)

1 lb. vegan mozarella cheese, sliced thinly or shredded (any type, made from soy, almond, cashew, etc.)

1/8 cup canola oil or preferred oil to lightly coat the veggies and the pan

1 cup whole grain breadcrumbs

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

About 30 large leaves fresh basil

2 cups Sundried Tomato Basil Pesto Coulis (click here for recipe)

Optional: ¼ amino acid liquid or low-sodium soy sauce or shoyu sauce

Garnish:

½ cup pine nuts

½ cup bread crumbs

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Fresh basil (we think the leaf clusters at the top of sprigs look prettiest)

🙂 Diva Tip ~ Slice the veggies quite thinly to no more than ¼ inch, so as to be able to stack them easily.

Instructions:

1. With a brush or with your fingers, lightly coat each slice of eggplant with oil. Lay out in a lightly oiled 8×11-inch baking pans, and place in oven heated to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Repeat process with squash in a separate pan of the same size.

3. Cook both pans of vegetables in the oven until slices can just be pierced with fork, or to the degree of softness you desire. Eggplant might take a little longer to cook than squash, but neither will take more than about 30 minutes.

4. Repeat process with mushrooms in an 8×8-inch pan. Please note that these will cook much faster, in only about 15 minutes.

5. While the veggies are cooking, make the Sundried Tomato Basil Pesto-Coulis according to recipe.

6. Thoroughly mix the breadcrumbs with the nutmeg.

7. Optional: After veggies are cooked, coat them lightly with the amino acids liquid, soy sauce or shoyu sauce using a brush or your fingers. This adds a bit of a smoky flavor to the dish but also increases the salt content.

8. On a microwave-safe plate or a bake-proof dish, build the first serving of Sultry Stack in the following way. Attractively alternate layers of the eggplant, squash, and mushrooms, sprinkling a couple of teaspoons of breadcrumbs on top of each layer. Lay a few leaves of basil on top of the breadcrumbs. Top the set of veggie layers and basil with sliced or shredded vegan cheese. On top of the cheese, spread a few tablespoons of the pesto-coulis. Repeat with a second set of layers of veggie, breadcrumbs, basil, cheese, and pesto-coulis.

9. Repeat process in Step 8 above to make each serving of Sultry Stack.

10. Heat each stack either in the microwave-safe plate for 1-2 minutes, or in the oven in the bake-proof plate at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-10 minutes.

🙂 Diva Tip ~ It is possible to transfer the stacks from a heating pan to a serving plate, but must be done with great care as they can easily topple over in the process. So it’s much easier to heat them on the same plates on which they will be served.

11. Just before serving, sprinkle the top of each stack with the breadcrumb-nutmeg mixture, but very lightly so as not to hide the pretty color of the pesto-coulis. Garnish further with pine nuts and basil.

Makes 2 – 4 servings

Bon appetit from Rescue Diva!

ROMANTIC VEGAN FEAST—MENU

(click each dish’s name for recipes)

Zesty Vegan Aphrodisiac Appetizer Dip Platter

Perky Vegan Sweet Potato Soup with Caramelized Onions, Ginger, and Curry

Sultry Vegan Stack of Eggplant, Squash, and Mushroom with Sundried Tomato Basil Pesto-Coulis

Silky Chocolate Banana Almond Fudge Meltdown

Fun info:  24 Aphrodisiac ingredients for a romantic vegan feast

HELP US SAVE ANIMALS — just $2 ! Rescue Diva depends on sales of our romantic fiction to help create real-life happy endings like those of Claire, of Noble, Granger, and Raza, and of Rhea and her Earthquake Puppies.

Enjoy a fun read, spice up your life, and help replenish our rescue fund!  🙂

Rescue Diva proudly sponsors needy animals in the U.S. and around the world. For example:

~ We help Kefalonia Animal Trust (KATs) in Greece provide free spay/neuter for hundreds of animals per year, which is one of the best ways to prevent the abandonment and misery of puppies like Noah and Kyla.

~ We donate to Center for Animal Protection and Education (CAPE), Praying for Paws, Southern California Siamese Rescue, Aniplant (Cuba) and many other groups.

~ We do in-the-trenches rescues of angels like Robin, Chance, and Tiger, with help from San Diego Animal Support Foundation, and of Marisol and Lisa, with help from Last Chance at Life.

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Katerina Lorenzatos Makris is a career journalist, author, and editor. Her fiction includes 17 novels for Simon and Schuster, E.P. Dutton, Avon, and other major publishers (under the name Kathryn Makris), as well as a teleplay for CBS-TV, and a short story for The Bark magazine. She has written hundreds of articles for regional wire services and for outlets such as National Geographic Traveler, The San Francisco Chronicle, Travelers’ Tales, NBC’s Petside.com, Animal Issues Reporter.com, and Examiner.com (Animal Policy Examiner).

Together with coauthor Shelley Frost, Katerina wrote a step-by-step guide for hands-on, in-the-trenches dog rescue, Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need (The Lyons Press), coming soon in digital format!