baba ghanoush

I would say that the day we discovered that I can make a mean baba ghanoush Lou's heart grew 15% larger, a la The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. It's one of our most favorite snacks, but for a long time we were buying a pre-made kind from Whole Foods. Not anymore my friends. Now we can eat it by the bucketful! It's insanely easy, and even though eggplant is a nightshade vegetable (and allegedly not the best for you) i will focus on the antioxidant properties and eat up with a big fat happy smile on my face!

the what: 

1 large eggplant, 2 small eggplants

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini

juice of one lemon (or more, to taste)

3/4 tsp sea salt

4 cloves of garlic

olive oil

chopped flat leaf parsley

the how:

slice eggplants in half, the long way

using tongs, char eggplants over open flame on your stove until equally blackened and crispy.  

once they're sufficiently crispy (this is important because it's where the yummy smoky flavor comes from) place eggplants on a baking sheet and roast at 375 degrees until they can be easily pierced with a fork.

remove eggplant from oven and peel off skin (careful not to burn yourself!) combine garlic, tahini, lemon juice, eggplant and salt in food processor and blend until it's a consistency you like. i prefer a pretty smooth baba ghanoush, so i let it run for a bit.

drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle chopped parsley over the top.  serve with pita, pita chips, spread on sandwiches, eat with veggies, on a  plate with humus/olives/feta/mint & sliced cucumber. there are so many possibilities! enjoy, and do let me know if you make it and mix it up at all! {be warned, this makes a very large batch meant for sharing!}