Wednesday, July 20, 2016

At Home - Baba Ganoush, Cucumber Raita

We got home from Halifax late Saturday evening.  On Sunday morning we ate a quick breakfast before heading to the grocery store.


After being away for a week we were low on everything, and were also craving veggies like crazy.


There was a lot of rain while we were away, and it looks like our cilantro and kale did well.


We wanted a fresh, healthy dinner, so we grilled up an eggplant ...


Made some pita chips ...


Then whipped up a batch of baba ganoush, and some cucumber raita.


Pita Chips

Preheat oven to 400 F
Cut pitas into wedges
Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt
Bake 7-10 minutes or so, watching carefully, just until crisp

Baba Ganoush

1 large eggplant
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 fresh lemon juice
pinch of cumin
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt to taste (don't skip the salt)
1 T olive oil
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
5-6 kalamata or black olives, chopped (optional)

Heat the grill.  Also preheat oven to 375 F.  Poke the eggplant a few times with a fork, and then grill it until the skin blackens and starts to blister a bit (approx. 10-15 minutes).  Remove and put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until quite soft.  Remove and set aside until cooled a bit.  Peel the skin off, and mash the eggplant with a fork.  Add tahini, lemon, cumin and garlic.  Season with salt, and taste to adjust seasoning.  Spread in dish, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle parsley and olives on top.  Serve at room temperature with pita chips or plain pita.

Cucumber Raita

1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups grated or finely chopped cucumber
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt (more to taste)
1/4 cumin
2 T or so cilantro, chopped

Serve cold as a topping for a spicy dish, or as a dip with pita chips, etc..

How's your week going so far?  Have you ever had baba ganoush?  
Are you growing any herbs or veggies this summer?

2 comments:

Lisa's Yarns said...

I tried growing cilantro last summer and had no luck with it. It went to seed right away. :( So I didn't attempt to grow it this year. Yours looks great, though!

I have had baba ganoush and I love it! I will have to make it sometime as it sounds like it's very easy to make!

I'm growing lots of things this summer. I have basil and Greek oregano on my deck, and then in my garden I'm grew radishes (which have already been picked/eaten) and I'm growing beets, carrots, green and yellow beans, red peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes. I started to pick my beets last weekend and they are SO good.

Lisa said...

What a great welcome home dinner! I can't wait to check out your trip posts. I've had baba ganoush on a trip to Egypt (five years ago) but have never made it at home. I'm trying to grow basil, but with our SoCal drought I'm not having much luck. My rosemary is thriving, though.