Soy Bean Moussaka

Description
.

Ingredients

 * 1 cup soy beans
 * 2 1/2 cups pure water
 * 1/4 cup olive oil
 * 2 onions, chopped
 * 2 celery stalks, sliced
 * 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
 * 1 cup sliced mushrooms
 * 2-4 tomatoes, depending on the size, chopped
 * 1 tbsp tomato paste
 * sea salt and pepper to taste
 * 1 bay leaf
 * 1 1/2 lb eggplants, stalks removed and thinly sliced
 * "Cheese" Sauce:
 * 1/3 cup unbleached white flour
 * 1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
 * 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
 * 1 1/4 cups unflavoured soy milk
 * 1/2 tsp prepared yellow mustard
 * 1/2 tsp prepared yellow mustard

Directions

 * Soak soy beans overnight. Drain the beans and place them in a large pot with 5 cups fresh water, and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam from the top (it's the gas-producer in beans) and lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 2 hours or until the beans are tender. Drain and reserve 1 1/4 cups cooking liquid.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan with a little water; add the onions, celery and carrot, and fry gently for 5 minutes.

Stir in the reserved cooking liquid together with the tomatoes, tomato paste, marjoram, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Add the beans and bay leaf, cover and simmer for 1 one hour until the beans are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed to give a moist mixture. Discard the bay leaf.

Place the eggplant slices in a strainer, sprinkling them with salt and leave for about 1 hour to allow the water to drain off and remove the bitterness. Rinse under cold running water to remove the salt, then pat dry.

Place the slices in a single layer on a grill pan, brush lightly with olive oil, and grill for about 5 minutes until lightly browned, turning once. Repeat with the remaining slices.

Place one third of the eggplant in the bottom of a 7 1/2 cup casserole dish. Cover with half the bean mixture, then another third of the eggplant. Spread the remaining bean mixture on top, then finish with a neat layer of eggplant.

To make the "cheese" sauce, combine the flour, nutritional yeast, and oil together in a small saucepan over medium heat, until the mixture start to sizzle. Slowly whisk in the soymilk and mustard and cook over medium-low heat until it achieves a thick, cheese-sauce-like consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also add a tbsp or so of tomato juice to make the "cheese" sauce look orangey, like cheddar would.

Pour the "cheese" sauce over the top of the moussaka and bake in a pre-heated 350 F oven for 30 minutes until the topping is browned. Garnish with parsley and serve hot with a vegan Greek salad.