Baba Ghanoush

I am loving eggplant these days. The other day I bought 3 at the farmers market just because. I ended up making mom's eggplant casserole with one, giving a friend the 2nd, and making some homemade baba ghanoush with the 3rd. It turned out SO yummy! I got my recipe from allrecipes.com.

Baba Ghanoush

1 eggplant
4 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
2 tbsp. sesame seads
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
pita or veggies to dip

Preheat oven to 400.
Lightly grease cookies sheet or baking pan.
With a fork, poke holes all over the eggplant. Roast the eggplant for 30-40 minutes or until soft; turn occasionally. Remove from the oven and place in a bowl of cold water, turning over for a few minutes. Remove from the water and peel the skin off.
Cut the egpplant into chunks and place in a blender with lemon juice, tahini, sesame seeds and garlic. Puree until you get a smooth mixture- add salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to a bowl and add the olive oil.

I enjoy baba ghanoush warm, so slice up some pita and veggies and enjoy a snack or lunch- or cover, and place in fridge to chill. Pairs well with the soundtrack from Slumdog Millionaire or any Bollywood-themed music.

* So good! I could eat it all day!
** The tahini is the only slightly expensive part of this dish. The cheapest I have found a jar for is about $6.00, but once you buy it, you have the key ingredient for hummus and b.g.- and I have made at least 6 different dishes with more to go, so it's a good little investment. If you can't find it, ask someone at the grocery store- they are bound to have it, maybe near the peanut butter.