| Babaganoush |
Author: Anita
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 15 mins
Ingredients
- 2 1-lb eggplants
- 2 tbsp tahini paste
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 large garlic clove, pressed
- 2 tbsp diced green chiles
- ½ tsp seal salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ⅛ tsp liquid smoke
- optional: crumbled feta cheese, parsley, smoked paprika for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and roast until soft, 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from oven and let cool, about 30 minutes or more. Cut in half and scoop out flesh with a spoon. Place the eggplant flesh in a colander to drain off excess liquid for 20-30 minutes.
- Transfer the eggplant to a food processor, add remaining ingredients, and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings and chiles to taste.
- Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with smoked paprika, parsley, crumbled feta if desired. Serve with vegetables or pita bread. Enjoy!
- Can be stored covered in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
Commentary:
Babaganoush has always been one of my favorite Middle Eastern dishes. And it's even really nutritious as it belongs in Paleo diets, vegan, natural, unprocessed food diets. Of course, if you serve it on bread or white pita, you lose some of that wholesome nutrition. Personally, I'm working on keeping processed food out of my diet. I adapted this recipe from the babaganoush recipe in The Virgin Diet Cookbook, which I find has more interesting and easy recipes than most unprocessed low-card diets. The chiles and cumin add more depth and character.
I use this as a dip with whole wheat pita, carrot or celery sticks, or bell pepper pieces. I'm also a sucker for sautéing up red and yellow bell pepper and onions, then putting them inside a whole wheat pita with a layer of babaganoush. Sometimes I add guacamole. Yum! Actually, I should have created a photo of this babaganoush with sautéed peppers on top. It's a marriage made in heaven.
Note: You can convert any babaganoush into mutabbal by adding yogurt, which gives it a creamier texture and richer flavor. Check out my mutabbal recipe here.
Babaganoush has always been one of my favorite Middle Eastern dishes. And it's even really nutritious as it belongs in Paleo diets, vegan, natural, unprocessed food diets. Of course, if you serve it on bread or white pita, you lose some of that wholesome nutrition. Personally, I'm working on keeping processed food out of my diet. I adapted this recipe from the babaganoush recipe in The Virgin Diet Cookbook, which I find has more interesting and easy recipes than most unprocessed low-card diets. The chiles and cumin add more depth and character.
I use this as a dip with whole wheat pita, carrot or celery sticks, or bell pepper pieces. I'm also a sucker for sautéing up red and yellow bell pepper and onions, then putting them inside a whole wheat pita with a layer of babaganoush. Sometimes I add guacamole. Yum! Actually, I should have created a photo of this babaganoush with sautéed peppers on top. It's a marriage made in heaven.
Note: You can convert any babaganoush into mutabbal by adding yogurt, which gives it a creamier texture and richer flavor. Check out my mutabbal recipe here.
Recipe by Denver Green Chili at https://denvergreenchili.com/recipes/appetizers/cold-dips/babaganoush/