Vegetarian Quinoa Moussaka

What do we need:

Eggplant:

• 1 small (1/2 lb) eggplant, thinly sliced into about 1/4-inch rounds
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Quinoa/Tomato Layer:

• 1/4 c quinoa
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 c tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried mint
• Pinch allspice
• Salt and pepper

Greek Béchamel:

• 1 TB unsalted butter
• 2 TB all-purpose flour
• 3/4 c milk (low-fat or fat-free is fine)
• 1 egg yolk
• Pinch nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper
• 1-2 TB grated Kefalotiri cheese (you can use Pecorino Romano cheese if you can’t find Kefalotiri)
• 16 oz gratin dish

Steps：

For eggplant:

• Preheat broiler.
• Arrange sliced eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet; brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Broil for 3-8 minutes on each side, until the eggplant is tender and golden.

For quinoa/tomato layer:

• Soak quinoa in cold water for 15 minutes.
• Strain it through a fine mesh sieve, then thoroughly rinse it under cold running water.
• Heat 2 tsp oil in a small/medium saucepan with a lid over medium to medium-low heat; add onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds.
• Transfer the rinsed quinoa, 1/2 c water, and a pinch of salt to the saucepan with the onion/garlic mixture.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat with the lid off; once it boils, give it a stir, cover it, and turn heat down to a gentle simmer.
• Cook 14 minutes, turn the heat off, and let it sit with the lid on for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
• Stir tomato sauce, oregano, mint, and a pinch of allspice into quinoa.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.

For béchamel:

• Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat.
• In a separate small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter, then whisk in flour and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Slowly whisk in warm milk and cook until smooth, about 1 minute; turn off heat and whisk in a pinch of nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
• Slowly whisk 1/4 c of the béchamel sauce into the egg yolk, only adding a little at a time.
• Add egg yolk mixture to the saucepan with the rest of the béchamel, turn the heat on low, and cook 1-2 minutes until thickened.

To assemble:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Arrange half of the eggplant in the bottom of a 16 oz gratin dish; spread the quinoa/tomato mixture evenly on top of the eggplant.
• Arrange the remaining eggplant on top of the quinoa/tomato mixture; pour the béchamel on top and sprinkle on the grated cheese.
• Bake about 35 minutes, or until light golden brown on top.

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