baba ganoush

Baba Ganoush

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Rub the outside of the eggplants with olive oil and place them in a roasting pan. Roast until the skin is charred and they are thoroughly tender, about 20-25 minutes.
  3. Roughly chop the eggplant and transfer to the bowl of a food processor.
  4. Add the tahini, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the food processor. Process until everything is incorporated evenly and you have a texture similar to hummus.

Enjoy your baba ganoush in the traditional sense, with pita, or serve with sliced veggies like cucumbers, carrots or celery.

 

 

Health Benefits of Baba Ganoush

Many baba ganoush recipes call for you to scoop the inside flesh out of the eggplant and discard the skin but we don’t suggest that here at Good Decisions! The skin not only offers a tasty and smoky flavor, but it kicks up the nutritional benefits, as many of the eggplant’s essential phytonutrients are found in the skin.

With high fiber and low soluble carbohydrate content, eggplants are an excellent choice for diet management or those with diabetes. Eggplants are also loaded with bioflavonoids, which assist in lowering high blood pressure and managing stress.

 

Fun Fact: Did you know eggplants are distinctively male or female?

Next time you go to the grocery store, take a look a the bottom, larger end of the eggplant. If it has a slit-like “belly button”, it’s a female and if it has a circle-like “belly button”, it’s a male. You might be thinking, “Why would it make a difference? An eggplant’s an eggplant!”. There actually can be quite a difference in taste. The females are designed to contain more seeds (for reproductive purposes) which are bitter tasting in order to deter predators. Pretty smart in terming of propagating their species, right?

 

So it you’re a picky eggplant eater, seek out those males!