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MEET THE KROCKS: We are a married couple who started on a life-changing whole food, plant-based weight loss journey in June 2018. To date, we have lost over 335 pounds combined and we aren’t done yet! Read Our Story
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Let’s be honest… we weren’t going all the way to Huntsville, Alabama to visit Ray Cronise without tasting some of his amazing food. You might not know that Ray is actually a Matthew Kenney and Blue Lotus Culinary graduate. He definitely knows his way around the kitchen and he kept us very well fed during our trip!
Here’s a little bit about Ray in case you don’t know… he’s the co-author of our favorite whole food plant-based book The Healthspan Solution, host of Science & Saucery podcast, a former NASA scientist and so much more! He’s also the the mastermind behind Penn Jillette’s weight loss, which is what inspired us to get started on this entire adventure over two years ago.
In today’s video, Ray made us some of his Eggplant Rollatini from page 175 of The Healthspan Solution. And let me tell you… it did not disappoint. My mouth is watering now just thinking about it!
The thin slices of eggplant are rolled up around a delightful mixture of kale and homemade Tofu Ricotta.
But the star of the show is definitely “Grandma Marie’s Tomato Sauce,” which is another recipe in The Healthspan Solution. As the name suggests, the sauce was inspired by Ray’s grandmother.
The key to this dish is making sure you let the sauce really thicken up and go light on the sauce in the baking dish. You might be tempted to add a ton of sauce, but as Ray explained to us, if you add too much before baking, it can become soggy. Instead, you can serve it with additional sauce on the side.
The rich flavor of the sauce marries so well with the tanginess of the Tofu Ricotta and the kale adds a perfect “bite” to the dish. It has all of the comforts you would want in an Italian dish, but you won’t feel one bit guilty enjoying it.
Check out the video here to get more information and tips from Ray himself, and be sure to pick up a copy of The Healthspan Solution for the recipe!
As you can see, we devoured the entire tray and Brian was sad to see this meal end 😂!
Check out our Huntsville travel vlog to see more from our trip.
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To get this recipe (and many more delicious, easy whole food recipes), order your copy of The Healthspan Solution: How and What to Eat to Add Life to Your Years.
What are the names/brands of the “Parmesan” Ray uses?
It is from Follow Your Heart! Just a note – it is not oil free – in the book he recommends adding it for those “rare and appropriate” occasions 🙂
I decided to try the recipe using what I had on hand. I was most interested in the “ricotta” filling. Instead of cashews I used white beans and it turned out better than I had hoped. I went forward and made lasagna instead of using the eggplant. This is a keeper for me. The filling can be used in anything needing a ricotta filling. Thanks for the info.