Happy Monday!
I love eggplant, having learned the many wonderful ways to prepare it from my mother-in-law Jennie. Whether she grilled it on the barbecue, sautéed and poured it over pasta, or baked it ala parmesan, eggplant was always at her dinner table.
Also known as Aubergine, this low calorie vegetable has antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, making it a healthy addition to your diet. While it is a nightshade vegetable (which have been shown to promote some inflammatory processes in the body), moderate consumption should be of little consequence. Folklore has it that it is also great for inducing labor and to help with cigarette cravings. Whether these last two are true or not, I can’t say, but eggplant parmesan would certainly be a pleasant way to manage both.
Recently, I had a craving for eggplant and since I don’t have a barbecue and I don’t eat parmesan, I decided to make a dip with it. One of my favorite recipes has always been Baba Ganoush, the Middle Eastern staple made with tahini, garlic, and lemon but since I didn’t have tahini in the house, I decided to make something different and came up with the recipe below… it’s spicy and garlicky and perfect for a healthy afternoon snack. I hope you enjoy it.
Do you have a favorite way of preparing eggplant? Or your own variation of the traditional Baba Ganouch recipe? I’d love to hear them!
I hope you all enjoy a wonderful week and that all that you’ve been working towards in health and in life show up effortlessly for you!
xo
B
Eggplant Dip!
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons (plus extra for roasting eggplant) olive oil
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- Minced fresh basil for garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven at 400’F. Place one rack towards the bottom of oven and a second rack at the top.
- Make a shallow slit lengthwise along the eggplant and place on an oiled baked sheet. Bake for about 40-45 minutes until it’s softened and collapsed. Then move to top rack of oven and bake until skin is slightly charred. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- While eggplant is baking, place garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and salt in a high speed blender and blend until totally smooth.
- When eggplant has cooled, remove insides with a fork and mash up into a pulp. You can also chop up some of the skin and add to the mash.
- Add the oil and garlic mixture and blend well.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight and serve with raw vegetables or gluten free crackers. Enjoy!