My apologies for neglecting to post.

Here are some recipes:

Fauxsagna No. 2

-9 c water
-3 c polenta grits
-salt
-thyme

1. boil water
2. add grits and lower the flame. stir while it simmers. the coarser the grits, the longer you simmer. cook until they could be called "al dente." Add salt and thyme to taste.
3. pour half the grits into a pyrex baking dish to make a flat layer.
4. chill in the freezer (or fridge if you have time to kill) until the layer sets.

-1 bunch fresh basil
-1 avocado
-lemon juice
-salt
-parmesan cheese of some sort
-olive oil and/or water
-garlic, optional

5. combine all these in a food processor or blender, adjust proportions to taste.
6. spread a layer of pesto on the layer of polenta after it sets.

-eggplant (here's a good way to cook it properly)

7. slice eggplant into thin discs, and soak it in water (I parboiled it, but cold water works too, just not as quickly).
8. heat up a skillet with some higher heat oil (coconut, canola, peanut, but not olive)
9. add eggplant rounds to cover the pan (you'll do these in batches. also, preheat oven to 375). they will kick up hot oil because of the water, beware.
10. as soon as the rounds are covered on one side with the oil, flip them. this will prevent one side of the round from sucking up all the oil. super oily eggplant = instant food coma. so there's that.
11. let the second side fry for a while, until it looks like it's begun to cook. it will have shrunk slightly and turned a light brown. there won't be any pale dry spots. place the rounds in a single layer on a baking sheet, and repeat until all the rounds are parcooked.
12. bake while you prepare everything else, as long as you want.
13. when you are ready to finish off the eggplant, throw all the rounds back in the frying pan, no oil this time, and cook until they rounds have kind of disintegrated. you can add salt, spices, soy sauce, aminos, vinegar, or whatever other flavoring you want. you won't need much if you have a good quality eggplant (i don't know how to define that, but i usually stick to the smaller eggplants, purchased from a farmers market or health food store).
14. spread the eggplant over the pesto layer.

-smoked gouda cheese, or any other cheese of your choosing

15. add a layer of cheese over the eggplant. then pour on the rest of the polenta and let it set again in the freezer.

-brussel sprouts

16. wash brussel sprouts, remove stem nubs, cut in half.
17. parboil the sprouts until they have turned a brighter green
18. throw them into a frying pan with a touch of oil, cut side down, and let them cook until the cut side is a crispy-looking brown.
19. add a layer of pesto to the polenta
20. cover with brussel sprouts
21. cover with the remaining cheese
22. bake at 375 until the cheese on top is melted and beginning to crisp. Serve hot.

Golden Beet Borscht:

-6-7 golden beets, peeled and diced
-fresh sage leaves
-garlic
-salt
-oil

1. preheat oven to 350 or 400
2. spread above ingredients on a baking sheet and bake until the beets are pretty much cooked (longer for bigger chunks)
3. boil a few cups of water while it bakes.

-a few small shitake mushrooms
-1 T or so toasted coriander
4. add baked ingredients to the boiling water with the mushrooms and boil about 10 minutes
5. pour soup into a blender with coriander and puree.
6. put the soup back in the pot, salt to taste and add water (or reduce) to achieve your desired consistency.
7. serve with pickled shallots, plain yogurt, or feta cheese

Pickled Shallots

-as many shallots as you can bear to peel, peeled
-salt
-honey
-rice vinegar
-oil

1. saute shallots in oil until translucent and browned.
2. season with honey and salt to taste.
3. let them sit in a bowl with rice vinegar to cover, until you are ready to eat them. they will also keep in the fridge.