At first, whenever someone says vegan food all I can picture is a bowl of oatmeal. Lots of peanut butter, seeds and chopped fruits. It then expands to mashed avocadoes on slices of 12-grain (or some other - who’s counting?) bread. Add sprouts to that. Maybe cheese made of cashew and nutritional yeast. Perhaps tofu - the whole shebang. It rarely translates itself to me as a normal bowl of pasta, with lots of flavourful, easy to get fresh vegetables. For someone who lives in a third world country where vegan products barely make it to the shelves, recipes like this are pretty much Godsend. If you’re a student trying to live off a budget, this one should be calling out to you too. Have no worries if you don’t have an oven, you can just pat the eggplant slices dry and use a bit of oil in a skillet to pan-roast them. I’m also including a recipe for homemade vegan linguine, just in case. SPICY VEGAN EGGPLANT PASTA (recipe from Food52, serves 4) [ 2 medium eggplants + 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided + 1 medium onion or 4 shallots,chopped + 2 cloves garlic, minced + 2 cups chopped plum tomatoes or one 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes + 1 ½ teaspoons dry oregano + 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, plus extra for finishing + 1/4 cup fresh, chopped basil, plus extra for finishing + 1 pound (vegan) linguine pasta ] Cut the eggplants crosswise into 1-inch thick slices. Lay the slices on a baking sheet, salt them well on both sides, and set aside for half an hour or so. Preheat the oven to 425° Farenheit. Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil over the eggplant, tossing the slices to coat them. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheets and roast them until they’re tender and browning, about 20 minutes. Alternatively, heat the oil in a skillet and fry the eggplants. If you’re working in two batches, use 1 tablespoon per batch. While the eggplant roasts, heat remaining tablespoon of the olive oil on low heat in a large saucepan. Add the onions and the minced garlic and sautée them until onions are soft. Add the tomatoes, oregano, pepper flakes, and basil. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, till the sauce has thickened up. When the eggplant is ready, remove it from the oven, chop it into 1-inch pieces, and add it to the sauce. Continue to simmer gently on very low heat. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and gently fold in the sauce. Top the pasta with additional chopped basil and red pepper flakes to taste. Enjoy!