Join us on social media for Goat Games challenges throughout August! CLICK HERE
Chef Linda Linda Soper-Kolton, Chef, came to the Sanctuary as a guest chef to share her love of compassionate cooking in our then-fledgling culinary program. Lured by the magic of the Sanctuary, her love of animals and the urgency of our mission, Linda stayed on to lead and grow the culinary program, inspiring and educating with love, patience, and delicious food. View Recipes

Blog Image

Eggplant Rollatini over Chard

By Chef Linda

Too often, people write off Italian food as too heavy or having too many "carbs." This recipe for Eggplant Rollatini over Chard is full of nutrition, flavor and won't leave you feeling guilty after dinner's done. Instead of ricotta cheese, we use cashews to create a luscious filling for our baked eggplant slices. Cashews are of a source of calming energy, antioxidants and minerals that leave you feeling virtuous. And while we're at it, remaking this dish, let's leave the pasta out and use super-beautiful and nutritious rainbow Swiss chard cut into thin ribbons and sautéed with garlic as the base to rest our wonderfully creamy and flavorful rollatini. You may feel like leaping over tall buildings in a single bound after this one!

Ingredients

For the Filling
 1 ½ cups raw cashews (soaked in water for a minimum of 30 minutes)
 3 large cloves garlic, peeled
 Small handful of fresh parsley and/or basil
 ¼ cup nutritional yeast
 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
 ½ teaspoon sea salt
  cup water
 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pound), peeled and sliced lengthwise into strips, 1/4 inch thick
 1 cup prepared tomato sauce
 Fresh parsley, to garnish
For the Chard
 Olive oil
 1 bunch Swiss chard, thick stems at bottom removed
 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
 Coarse salt

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread a thin layer of oil. Lay sliced eggplant on prepared baking tray and sprinkle with a little coarse salt. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until tender and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Lightly oil the bottom of a shallow baking dish and set aside.

In a food processor, blend the cashews, garlic, fresh herbs, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt. Blend, adding a little of the water at a time, to form a thick paste. Add enough water for blending so that the mixture is completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Place a slice of the cooled eggplant on a cutting board. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of the cashew filling onto one end of the cooked eggplant slice. Roll into a log and place in the prepared baking dish. Continue until all the eggplant slices are rolled and in the baking dish. Spoon tomato sauce over the rolls. Cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes.

While the eggplant is baking, cut the chard. Roll up several leaves of chard, like a cigar, and begin cutting into thin ribbons about 1/4 thick. Heat a large frying pan with a little olive oil over medium-high heat. Add greens and cook for a couple of minutes, then add sliced garlic and a few sprinkles of coarse salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 to 5 minutes until the leaves are wilted but not completely cooked. Remove from heat. To serve, place greens on center of plate, place one to two rollatini on top of the greens and drizzle with a little more tomato sauce. Sprinkle fresh parsley to garnish.

Notes

Eggplant Rollatini over Chard

Eggplant Rollatini over Chard

DifficultyModerateCook Time25 mins
YIELDS
8 to 10 as an appetizer, 4 to 6 as a main course

INGREDIENTS

For the Filling
 1 ½ cups raw cashews (soaked in water for a minimum of 30 minutes)
 3 large cloves garlic, peeled
 Small handful of fresh parsley and/or basil
 ¼ cup nutritional yeast
 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
 ½ teaspoon sea salt
  cup water
 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pound), peeled and sliced lengthwise into strips, 1/4 inch thick
 1 cup prepared tomato sauce
 Fresh parsley, to garnish
For the Chard
 Olive oil
 1 bunch Swiss chard, thick stems at bottom removed
 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
 Coarse salt

DIRECTIONS

1

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread a thin layer of oil. Lay sliced eggplant on prepared baking tray and sprinkle with a little coarse salt. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until tender and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Lightly oil the bottom of a shallow baking dish and set aside.

In a food processor, blend the cashews, garlic, fresh herbs, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt. Blend, adding a little of the water at a time, to form a thick paste. Add enough water for blending so that the mixture is completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Place a slice of the cooled eggplant on a cutting board. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of the cashew filling onto one end of the cooked eggplant slice. Roll into a log and place in the prepared baking dish. Continue until all the eggplant slices are rolled and in the baking dish. Spoon tomato sauce over the rolls. Cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes.

While the eggplant is baking, cut the chard. Roll up several leaves of chard, like a cigar, and begin cutting into thin ribbons about 1/4 thick. Heat a large frying pan with a little olive oil over medium-high heat. Add greens and cook for a couple of minutes, then add sliced garlic and a few sprinkles of coarse salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 to 5 minutes until the leaves are wilted but not completely cooked. Remove from heat. To serve, place greens on center of plate, place one to two rollatini on top of the greens and drizzle with a little more tomato sauce. Sprinkle fresh parsley to garnish.

ShareTweetSaveBigOven

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *