Namaste Real – Wellness & Running – Train With Ally

When I did the Whole30 in October of 2017, I was searching for recipes for “compliant” snacks. My go-to was always hummus and veggies (or pita chips) and since legumes aren’t allowed on Whole30, I couldn’t have hummus. I wanted to keep veggies and a dip as a staple snack, but had to find an alternative solution.

I came across baba ganoush at the store and after looking at the ingredients, realized it was basically hummus, but with eggplant instead of chickpeas. I didn’t know if I liked eggplant or not, but it was worth a try!

Turns out, it quickly became an easy, delicious, plant-based substitute for my hummus cravings! I ate it with celery and carrots to start. Then I began adding a dollop to salads for more flavor, throwing it on my plate to dip my protein in, or eating it by the spoonful. After Whole30, I enjoyed it with Simple Mills crackers. Delicious.

Since packaged goods with high quality ingredients tend to be overpriced, I, of course, decided to make my own. SO – below is my recipe for baba ganoush. Note that every eggplant size is different, so if the recipe needs thinning out, I recommend adding 1 TBSP of water at a time to the recipe. 

Baba Ganoush Recipe

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants (+avocado oil, salt, and pepper for roasting)

1/4 Cup tahini

1/4 Cup olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

4 cloves garlic

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

 

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Slice eggplant in to 1/4 inch rounds and place on greased baking sheet. Drizzle or spray avocado oil on top with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until soft and browning (you should be able to easily pierce with a fork)

3. Allow eggplants to cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove the skins and toss them.

3. Add the eggplant “meat” and all other ingredients to a food processor and blend until well-mixed, 3-5 minutes.

4. If necessary, add 1 tbsp of water (or additional lemon juice) at a time to desired consistency.

5. Add optional garnishes: additional salt, pepper,cumin, smoked paprika, rosemary, chopped parsley, or olive oil

5. Enjoy! 🙂