Easy Peasy Baba Ganouj, and it's healthy too!

Do you like eggplant? And lemon and garlic? Then you will love this! Baba ghanouj, Jeanne style.

Ha, well first you'll have to wait. I hit the mega load this week at Wilson Farms in Lexington. They have an irregular produce table. Peppers cucumbers eggplant carrots oh my!  I stocked up on everything. Now what to do with all these vegetables?

Well I had ideas for a lot of it.

The first thing I made was some cucumber salad. So simple and inspired by Erin from a girl and her mutt. She had brought it to one of our brunches recently and I had asked her for the recipe.

Just wash and peel most of the skin off 2 cucumbers, leaving a little bit of green for color. Then slice into very very thin slices and add them to a half cup of apple cider vinegar. Add in one half teaspoon of honey and two 2 teaspoons of fresh dill. There is nothing like fresh dill! Mix this all together and let the mixture sit covered in the refrigerator as long as you can wait. Erin's recipe had some red onion in it which I was trying to stay away from, however does give it a nice flavor. Enjoy and thanks for the idea Erin!

Now, onto the main event. Baba ghanouj!

I used:
2 eggplants
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon cumin

Wash the eggplant and then slice it in half the long way.

Then pop it in the oven to roast at 400° for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. The meat itself will turn brown and will be soft to the touch. (If you're in a real hurry you can microwave it for about seven minutes each eggplant).

Once eggplant is cool, scoop out all the flash into your blender or food processor.

I know it looks really gross right now, almost looks octopus or something but believe me it gets much better.

Pulse the eggplant about 5 to 10 times in your blender or food processor.  Once it has started to blend and look slightly creamy, add two cloves minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Blend this altogether for 1 more minute to make sure the eggplant is sufficiently pureed, then add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of cumin and a quarter teaspoon of salt.

Isn't it looking good? Sprinkle a little cumin on top for some color, and enjoy!

Homemade baba ghanouj is so much better than the store bought kind which is usually mixed with chickpeas. It's also lower price than the store-bought kind and much healthier for you. Each 2 tablespoon serving has just 64 cal and 2 g of fat not to mention 2 g of protein.

I serve it with Cedars whole-wheat wraps toasted into chips, or baby carrots and sugar snap peas.

Hope you enjoy! It makes a great snack or even a hearty lunch on these hot summer days.

What store-bought items do you like to replicate at home?