Simple (and Fancy!) Eggplant Dip

Inspired by this Eggplant “Caviar” Recipe, I’ve upped the herbs and vinegar and added cherry tomatoes to make this warming (roasted eggplant) and, at the same time, refreshing (fresh herbs and tomato) dip. Serve it with toasted bread or crackers. If you go with a few seedy Norwegian Crispbread Crackers (because, they pack the protein), I’d say it counts as a meal.

It’s been a stretch for me to get creative with my eggplant recipes, although I have posted a couple. Nothing beats a batch of vegan lasagna (I gotta post that recipe soon!) when I’ve got eggplant around, but that’s a lot of work. Simply sliced and roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper is also delicious but, for some reason, I don’t feel it’s enough of a “dish” for company (just a comfort food for me!). Beyond that, I just don’t love babaganoush…but THIS dip turned out to be filling, refreshing and deliciously ‘visitor-worthy’. Even though we don’t have many visitors these days, it’s nice to have a simple recipe for a ‘fancy’, healthy (not fried!) dish for us to enjoy at home (with a glass of red wine, maybe…). Ok, here it is:

Ingredients:

2 medium italian eggplants or 1 large one (or 3 to 4 asian eggplants)

½ an onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Large handful basil or parsley, chopped

8 cherry tomatoes, chopped in fourths

1 tbs red wine vinegar

2 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Stab the eggplant with a fork several times on all sides, then put on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and roast until very tender (about an hour for a large Italian eggplant, check sooner, after 20 minutes, if using a smaller or more narrow variety of eggplant). 

Saute the onion over medium heat for a few minutes, then add the garlic and saute a couple more minutes. 

When eggplant is ready, take it out of oven and let cool a bit. Cut it in half lengthwise and scrape out the flesh and finely chop before putting in a bowl.

Add the sauteed onions and garlic along with the tomatoes, herbs (basil or parsley), red wine vinegar, oil, salt and pepper to the bowl and mix.

Serve with toasted bread or crackers. Again, if you go with a few seedy Norwegian Crispbread Crackers (because, they pack the protein), I’d say it counts as a meal!

Laotian-Inspired Eggplant

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. roasted sesame oil

• 3 cups cut into 1 inch slices Japanese eggplant

• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes tomatoes, cut in halves

• 3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

• Juice from one orange

• Juice from one lime

• 1 tbs miso

• 1 box pea shoots

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (optional)

Instructions

Heat oil in wok or large pan over high heat. Add eggplant, onion and garlic and stir-fry 6 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and stir-fry for two more minutes. Add soy sauce, orange and lime juice, and pea shoots and cook 2 minutes more. Garnish with mint. Serve over rice.

You can add tofu to the stir-fry to make it a complete dinner. Add your favorite pepper to spice it up. I’m learning to do this on my own plate, to keep it palatable for my kids. It’s tough not making everything spicy right from the start!

Eggplant and Zucchini Fries

Check out this article Do You Really Need to Salt Eggplant and other recipe ideas for this strange and nutritious fruit.

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants (cut into 1 inch slices, then cut each slice into 1 inch sticks)

1 large, two medium or three small zucchinis (cut into 1 inch thick sticks)

3 eggs

1 cup almond flour

1 cup corn meal or bread crumbs

1 cup grated parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast

2 tsp salt

spices of your choice (I like 1 tsp each oregano or italian seasoning mix, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper)

olive oil

Instructions:

In a small bowl, blend the first five dry ingredients (including the spices)

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a fork

then add the eggplant and zucchini sticks and mix with the egg.

Sprinkle with the dry mixture until well coated

Place on a tray lined with parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.

Don’t even take out the sauce if you want kids to love them as is… or dip in a marinara or barbecue sauce as a special treat.