Vegan Moussaka

Whisk allspice, cloves, nutmeg, 5 spice powder, mustard seed, ginger, black pepper, and cinnamon in a small bowl. 

Preheat the oven to 400 °F. 

Whisk flour and seasoning blend in a shallow baking dish. 

Dredge both sides of eggplant in the seasoned flour, then place them onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.

Drizzle eggplant with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes until tender. Set aside to cool slightly. 

In a deep skillet, add olive oil. Set over medium-high heat. 

Add minced shallots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Cook the garlic and for a minute, stir until fragrant.

Add bay leaf and cumin and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

Stir tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, fire-roasted tomatoes, vegetable broth, maple syrup, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the tomato sauce cooks down. 

Remove the sauce from the heat. Remove bay leaf and set aside. 

In an oven-safe pot or baking dish, arrange 1/3 of the eggplant slices in the bottom of the dish.

Add 1/3 of the chickpeas and tomato sauce.

Repeat until you have created 2 more layers, then add the remaining sauce. 

Bake the vegan moussaka uncovered for 40 minutes until the sauce bubbles around the edges.

To make the yogurt sauce, whisk Greek yogurt, lemon juice, maple syrup, zaatar, and mint in a bowl. Pour it into a serving dish.

Serve vegan moussaka with pita bread and yogurt sauce.