Recipe: Roasted Eggplant Dip with Tahini and Lemon

Leave it to Ina Garten to make me an eggplant fan.

As we all know, my previous bout with the cloyingly purple vegetable ended with a shriveled, brown batch of cockroach-esque baby eggplant in the trash and a kale smoothie as a last-minute dinner stand-in.

Yet even with the memory of that failed recipe looming, Ina’s roasted eggplant dip beckoned me from her stainless-steel-clad kitchen in the Hamptons. It was also Ina who would have been shaking her head in disapproval when I settled for using a crippled, aged red pepper from Gristedes in place of a ‘good’ pepper. (If we’re being honest here, it wasn’t even the best one of the bunch since I picked that one up first and promptly dropped it on the floor. Twice.) Moving on.

This dip is spectacular, wrinkly old vegetables and all. Roasting the ingredients draws out their natural sweetness, which is balanced by a subtle kick of cayenne. After 40 minutes in the oven and a quick whiz in the food processor, the entire recipe is pretty hands-off. Which means more quality time with Ina and her gay-tourage. Or your family and friends, whatever.

Regardless of who you share it with – Definitely take this one for a spin this holiday! Your guests won’t be disappointed.

[Original recipe from Food Network]

Ingredients

2 medium eggplant, peeled and roughly cubed

1 red bell pepper, seeded and roughly cubed

1 medium red onion, peeled and roughly cubed

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp for more heat)

¼ tsp paprika

2 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)

Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp)

Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tbsp)

Handful of flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place all of the chopped veggies (eggplant, pepper, onion and garlic) on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cayenne and paprika. Toss well to coat.

Roast for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until veggies are tender and lightly browned.

Transfer veggies to a food processor. Add tahini, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Pulse 4-5 times until dip is uniformly chopped but not pureed. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed. (If you have a smaller food processor, you may need to do this in 2 batches. Just add ½ of tahini and lemon juice/zest each time, then fold together both batches in a bowl.)

Transfer dip to a serving bowl, and fold in chopped parlsey. Serve warm, cold or room temperature with gluten free bagel chips, crackers, pita chips or crudités. 

Recipe: Sweet Thai Chili Glazed Tofu with Roasted Broccoli

Hey guys. Remember me? For those of you concerned with my disappearance from the blogosphere (i.e. Mom), fret no more. My three-week rut of eating popcorn and tomato soup for dinner is officially over. O-V-E-R.

(Not to say I would steer you away from having that exact combination tonight. Pop your own popcorn following these instructions, and get Pacific Foods Creamy Tomato Soup. It’s gluten free, and the bomb.)

But if you’re looking for something slightly less college and slightly more vegetable-y, read on.

Let’s talk tofu. After losing too many tofu battles (with battle scars, I might add) to a sauté pan, I refused to call it quits. Instead, I popped that compacted soybean block in the oven, and have yet to struggle to wedge a spatula between tofu and a hot pan since.

The glaze for the tofu is dead easy with Thai sweet chili sauce as the base, but the flavor payoff is huge. Topped with onion-y scallions and crunchy sesame seeds, then accompanied by just-charred broccoli – This is a healthy, quick weeknight meal that, if cooking for one, allows for just enough lunch leftovers the next day.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 14 oz block firm tofu

¼ cup Thai sweet chili sauce

1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 large head broccoli (about 1 – 1.5 pounds)

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Scallions, sliced

Toasted sesame seeds

Recipe

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Using a knife, slit the package of tofu open and drain out all of the liquid. Remove the tofu and pat dry with paper towels. Rest the tofu on the longer side, and use a sharp knife to carefully cut it into four large slices (lengthwise). Lay the four slices of tofu on a few sheets of paper towels, place more paper towels on top, then cover with a heavy pan. Allow the tofu to drain.

Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking together the chili sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. Set aside.

Line one baking sheet with foil. Cut about half an inch off the broccoli stems. Cut the head of the broccoli into florets, and slice the remaining stalk. Place all of the broccoli on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Set aside.

Line a second baking sheet with foil and coat liberally with cooking spray. Place the four drained tofu slices onto the foil. Divide the sauce among the tofu, and use a brush or the back of a spoon to evenly distribute the glaze.

Place both baking sheets in the oven. Cook for 20 minutes, then toss broccoli. (The side facing down will brown, so try to ensure all of the brown sides are now facing up.) Cook for another 15-20 minutes, until other side of broccoli is slightly charred. Remove both baking sheets from oven.

Top tofu with scallions and sesame seeds, then serve hot.