eggplant

Pesto Eggplant Burgers

/ ktbuchs87

There are a lot of great recipes for veggie burgers out there.  This one from Minimalist Baker is one of my favorite.  And while I prefer to make my own food rather than get store bought, sometimes I just want to take the easier route and go to the store and get what I want in like two minutes.

Which is the position I found myself in the Monday before the 4th of July. Pesto Eggplant Burgers | Life Healthfully Lived Continue reading →

Autumn Eggplant Rollatini

/ ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

I think eggplants can be really good or really bad.  You need to prepare it just right or else it becomes inedible.  I have had my fair share of eggplant successes (this lasagna, baba ganoush, ratatouille, moussaka, and garlic bake prove that) but there have been times when I just had to throw everything away because the eggplant went south. Autumn Eggplant Rollatini | Life Healthfully Lived Continue reading →

DIY Wednesday: Baba Ganoush

/ ktbuchs87

Ok, before making this recipe I had never had baba ganoush.  In fact, I didn’t even really know what baba ganoush was and the only reason I thought about it was because of the movie Wedding Crashers.  Yes, the movie with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.  It’s one of my sister’s and my favorite movies and it’s awesome and if you’ve never seen do it now.

Well, in the movie Owen Wilson’s character affectionately calls Vince Vaughn’s character “Baba Ganoush”.  So the other day I was randomly thinking about the movies and I decided to figure out what baba ganoush meant and when I saw that it was an eggplant and tahini spread I decided I needed to make it for myself.DIY Wednesday: Baba Ganoush | Life Healthfully Lived

Yes, this is how my brain works.

I really love how light and simple this dip is and it’s amazing on chips (particularly pita), cut up vegetables, and while I haven’t tried it yet I bet it would be good spread on fish or chicken.  You could buy baba ganoush at the store but the kind I found had odd ingredients and was way more expensive and why buy it when you can easily make it?DIY Wednesday: Baba Ganoush | Life Healthfully Lived

While this dip won’t replace hummus (hummus love forever yo) it is a new fun dip!

Baba GanoushDIY Wednesday: Baba Ganoush | Life Healthfully Lived

  • 1 medium sized eggplant
  • half a lemon
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, roasted
  • 2 tbsp tahini*
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped or 1 tsp dried parsley
  • roasted sesame seeds for garnish, optional
  1. Preheat oven to 400 and prepare a large baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.
  2. Wash and rinse the eggplant really well and poke it all over with a fork.  Place it on the baking sheet.  Take 4 cloves of peeled garlic and wrap them in a little foil pouch with a little olive oil and salt and place the pouch on the pan with the eggplant.
  3. Roast the eggplant until it’s soft and starting to collapse rotating it halfway through. About 30 to 35 minutes.  Roast the garlic for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  4. Once the eggplant and garlic are done roasting, let them cool until you can easily handle the eggplant.  Slice in half and scoop out the flesh and place it into the food processor along with the rest of the ingredients, except the sesame seeds.
  5. Process until it’s smooth.  Scoop into a bowl and if you’re serving right away top with toasted sesame seeds and a drizzle of olive oil.

* I also tried this with almond butter and it worked just fine but I like the flavor tahini adds. Use whatever you like and have on hand.DIY Wednesday: Baba Ganoush | Life Healthfully Lived

Eggplant Lasagna

/ ktbuchs87

Just fair warning, this recipe will take some time to assemble.  But it is VERY worth it.  While it might not be a quick weeknight meal, you can make it ahead of time and just pop it in the oven when you’re ready to eat.  It’s got a lot of flavor and a great way to get in some healthy vegetables.

Eggplant Lasagna

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For the “noodles”

  • 2 medium eggplants, washed and sliced lengthwise

For the tomato sauce

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
  • 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
  • vegetable broth
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the ricotta “cheese”

  • 1 cup white beans, soaked and rinsed (or one can, drained and rinsed)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning

1.  Slice the eggplant lengthwise into thin noodle-like slices.  Lay out onto a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and cover with another paper towel.  Let rest for 15 minutes.  If you’re cooking your own beans, cover with water bring to a boil, and then cover and lower to a simmer.  Cook for about 20 minutes or until the beans are soft.

2. Preheat oven to 350, brush the salt off the eggplant and lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Roast in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove and let cool.

3.  In a medium saucepan, saute the onion until soft.  Add in the garlic, oregano, basil, and fennel seeds.  Stir to combine then add in both cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce.  If you want a thinner sauce, add in the vegetable broth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bring the sauce to a boil then lower to a simmer for 15 minutes.

4.  While the sauce is simmering, place the cooked white beans into a food processor or blender and pulse a few times.  Add in the rest of the cheese ingredients and blend until smooth.

5.  Now it’s time to put everything together.  In a 9 x 13 casserole dish place a thin layer of the tomato sauce, then a layer of eggplant noodles, then a layer of cheese, and then a layer of tomato sauce.  Keep layering until you run out of ingredients.  Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  Let it rest uncovered for 5 minutes, then cut and serve!

Whew!  I know it seems like this is a lot of work, but it is really worth it.  Make this over the weekend when you have a little more time and then have delicious leftovers for lunch during the week.  To save more time you can use jarred marinara sauce, just make sure to read the ingredient list.  Or make a few batches of these, put them in the freezer and then pull them out when you need a quick meal.  Enjoy!