Vegetable Moussaka

Moussaka is a Greek dish traditionally made with mince. I make it with lentils or whatever combination of vegetables I am in the mood for. My favourite so far is carrot, leek and red kidney beans.

Ingredients
1 large carrot, sliced into 5mm slices
1 large leek, just the white bit, sliced into 10mm slices
1 can or 2 cups precooked red kidney beans
1 large brinjal, sliced across the thin side into 5-10mm slices
1 can whole peeled tomatoes, blended
1 tsp paprika*
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400 ml water or vegetable stock
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper

For white sauce
500 ml soy milk
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon dairy free margarine**

Method
Fry the leeks and carrots on medium heat in olive oil for about a minute.
Add garlic and paprika and fry for another minute.
Add blended tomato.
Add water/stock.
Season to taste.
Reduce heat and simmer for about fifteen minutes.
Add beans and simmer for a further five minutes.
While the sauce is going, cover the bottom of an oven proof dish with sliced brinjal.
Preheat oven to 180 deg C and start with the white sauce.

On low heat, melt margarine in a saucepan.
Add flour and mix into a roux (paste) allow to cook for about a minute.
Take off heat and add a tiny amount of soy milk.
Mix into roux.
Add another tiny amount and mix into roux.
Repeat this until the roux is liquid enough to pour more soy milk at a time.
Repeat, continually adding more soy milk at a time.
When all the soy milk is added, return to heat and cook, stirring continuously until sauce thickens.
Remove from heat.
Pour the vegetables over the brinjals.
Gently pour the white sauce over the vegetables.
Put in oven and allow to bake for about twenty to twenty five minutes until the white sauce starts turning golden.
This works nicely in individual lasagna dishes.

Variations
Replace vegetables/beans with cooked lentils.

*Paprika is not a traditional Greek ingredient. It adds a wonderful taste to the tomato. I often add paprika to dishes normally made with a meat/tomato sauce to reduce the acidic flavour of tomatoes. It also adds a wonderful colour.

**Not all margarine is dairy free. In South Africa if it goes under the name margarine it usually contains milk solids. Medium fat spread or low fat spread usually don't.