Baba Ganoush Recipe: Homegrown and Delicious

We’re so very grateful for a bumper eggplant crop this year. But after prepping and freezing ten meals worth of eggplant Parmesan, I needed a new way to use up the last of my eggplant harvest.

With lots of family gatherings in my future, I thought what better way than to make a delicious and homegrown appetizer that I can serve to my family and friends.

Similar to hummus, at it’s core baba ganoush is nothing more than eggplants, tahini, olive oil, garlic and some lemon juice. But after finding some inspiration here and here, I added some parsley from the garden, cumin and a touch of paprika. Fantastic!

To Tahini or Not to Tahini… That is the Question

Traditionally baba ganoush calls for tahini, but I didn’t have any. Eggplants, garlic, parsley and the others, but no tahini. What’s a girl to do? I decided to craft a substitute using organic sunflower seeds and toasted sesame oil as opposed to traveling 25+ minutes to the closest grocery store. Thankfully it turned out perfectly and was quite delicious.

This recipe calls for a quarter cup of tahini, but you can substitute any nut or seed butters (sunflower, cashew, almond etc.) But note that butters with strong flavours may take over the roasted eggplant flavour. If you choose to make a sunflower seed substitute I’ll share what I did:

  • 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds (organic if you can find it)
  • 1-2 tbsp of toasted sesame oil
  • Start with 1 tbsp and add more if necessary
  • The sesame oil adds a wonderful flavour and closely mimics tahini

Some Recipe Notes

Many recipes call for grilling your eggplant, but I found roasting it worked great. The smoked paprika in the recipe helps to add the smokey flavour you would get from grilling your eggplants. But if you prefer roasting please feel free to do so.

Don’t skip the salt. I know it can be very tempting for folks trying to reduce their salt consumption, but eggplant can sometimes taste bitter and the salt helps to cut that bitter flavour.

Now let’s get cooking…

Serve with raw veggies, tortilla chips, warmed pita slices or as a condiment on sandwiches and wraps.

I hope you enjoy your baba ganoush as much as I do.

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