On this week's episode of TODAY All Day's "#Cooking," Samah Dada is putting her own delicious spin on two classic Italian dishes. First up, she makes a lighter, baked version of fried eggplant that's super crispy thanks to a gluten-free breading made with almond meal. Then she whips up a vegan cacio e pepe tossed in a creamy cashew sauce that's topped with homemade vegan Parmesan.
One of the most popular Italian dishes featuring eggplant is eggplant Parmesan, which is delicious but it's traditionally breaded, deep fried and smothered in cheese. This simplified version is all about the crispy, spiced crust, but requires no frying — plus it's free of dairy and gluten.
Cacio e pepe is one of those dishes that everyone loves because it is so simple yet it's packed with flavor thanks to umami-forward cheeses like Parmesan and pecorino Romano. My take on the Italian staple uses nutritional yeast and cashews to create a luscious, creamy sauce that's totally dairy free. And, of course, I didn't forget a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper to keep the "pep" in "pepe."