Then at some point in my teenage or young adult years, I order a pizza that had breaded eggplant on it and had my mind blown as to how good a substitute it makes for a meaty component of a meal. I was hooked ever since and ordered the eggplant parmesan far more times than I care to admit at Olive Garden. I was so excited that I found a tasty version of chicken! I was probably the only kid in this country who prefered eggplant to chicken, but I totally did and though gone are the days of Olive Garden and their eggplant parmesan, I still get my kicks at home, using this homemade hack. Alex, however, is a certified eggplant-hater, but a seitan-lover, and since seitan is way more delicious than chicken, and way less terrible for everyone, we pretty much just make this dish with seitan instead. The classic dish is sort of a gastronomical commitment, and though you absolutely must serve with with pasta, maybe try and throw in as many veggies as will fit on yr plate.
To make this, I just dredged my seitan cutlets (from Super Fun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook) in some seasoned flour, dipped it in a cornstarchy sticky-bath, and then into some Italian breadcrumbs. Then I seared it on both sides, and then I was done :) You could definitely use some vegan cheese on top, or make Chloe's vegan Mozzarella sauce to have on top, but I just sprinkled on a mixture of ground blanched almonds, nooch and lemon zest as my parmesan-style topping and it was no worse for the wear. I understand this photo is not my greatest work of all time, but the comforting memories and my lovely anecdotes will hopefully keep ya comin' back for more.
<3
KZ