I’ve always enjoyed creamy yogurt veggie dips or cracker dips like chickpea hummus. But every time I finish eating, I end up feeling extremely bloated and have stomach cramps all day.
For someone with food sensitivities to legumes and dairy, this is what I get for following the wishes of my taste buds and disobeying the needs of my gut. Living with food sensitivities can be a real bummer sometimes. Which is why I was extremely delighted when I tried baba ghanoush a couple days ago. It’s just as hearty and satisfying as hummus but with no dairy and no beans! Amazing!
I knew I had to try making it myself when I got home! I played around with some of the ingredients because I didn’t have everything I needed at home and ended up inventing my own version of baba ghanoush.
- 5 medium sized eggplants, halved and roasted
- 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seed butter (or tahini - I didn't have any at home so I had to use sunflower seed butter)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 large red pimento peppers, halved, deseeded, and roasted
- 2 whole garlics, sliced at the top and roasted
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 3 tsp pink himalayan salt
- olive oil
- Preheat oven to 400°F and position rack in the centre of oven.
- Cut the tops off the eggplants and then cut in half. With the tip of a knife, score the flesh deeply in a diamond cross-hatch pattern by making two or three long cuts, cutting at a steep angle, and then rotating the eggplant to make another set of similar cuts. (Eggplants soak up oil like a sponge, but you can reduce its ability to absorb oil by salting the cut flesh and letting it sit for 30 minutes or more. Then drain, pat dry, and proceed with cooking.)
- Place eggplant halves, peppers, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Roast eggplant until flesh is tender and skin is blistered in spots (approximately 35 minutes). Eggplant will take a bit longer (about 15-20 minutes longer) than the peppers and garlic.
- Squeeze the garlic out of the skin and set aside (discard skins).
- In a food processor add all ingredients and grind while adding oil as you go until you reach a smooth paste-like consistency.
- Drizzle a light layer of oil on top and sprinkle with paprika and salt.
- Makes 3 cups.
