Greek Eggplant Dip

(recipe from The Vegan Gourmet)

2 lbs. eggplant (2 medium)
1/4 cup diced white onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano leaves (I used 1 tsp. dried oregano)
3 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 baguette or crusty loaf of bread

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Do not peel the eggplants, but pierce them in several places with a fork.  Place the whole eggplants in an ovenproof glass dish.  Bake for 40-50 minutes, until very soft.  The skin may scorch slightly.  Remove the eggplants from the oven and set aside to cool.  When they are cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise and scrape the pulp from the skin.

Place the eggplant pulp in a food processor and pulse to coarsely chop; do not puree.  Drain off any liquid that may separate from the pulp.  Add the onion, garlic, parsley, and oregano and pulse to combine.  With the machine running, add the lemon juice and olive oil.  Don't overprocess - the resulting mixture should be a thick, slightly chunky puree.  Transfer to a serving bowl and chill for several hours.

Serve with sliced or chunked bread (toasted if desired).

(This was a hit at the island Christmas party, 2018.)

Lemony White Bean Dip

(recipe from a newspaper, not sure which one)

 

2 cans (15 oz. each) white beans, such as cannellini or great northern

2 cloves garlic, quartered

1 cup tightly packed fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

Drain and rinse beans.  Place beans, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, and oil in a food processor.  Process until smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.  Scrape mixture into a bowl.  Stir in salt.  Can be made several hours in advance, covered, and refrigerated.  Let come to room temperature before serving.

(So easy to make!  I brought this dip to a party, and it was a hit.)

Eggplant Spread

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

2 large eggplant
1/2 sliced green onion (I used three scallions)
1 cup peeled diced Roma or other meaty tomato (I used canned diced tomatoes)
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
3/4 cup olive oil (optional - I did not oil the eggplant before baking)
3 Tbsp. wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Oil the skins of the eggplant and bake them on a baking sheet at 375F until tender, about 50 minutes.  Cut off the stems and discard the skin.

Chop the eggplant, onion, tomato, and parsley in a food processor or on a cutting board with a large knife.  Pulse or chop until the mixture is fine but not pureed; it should have some texture.  Stir in the vinegar, salt and pepper.  Chill until serving time and serve with crackers or crusty bread.

(I made this for the neighborhood get-together at Penny and Dick's next door, and everyone loved it.  Different than a typical babaganoush-type creamy dip: this one is lively and tangy and fresh due to the tomatoes and vinegar.)

Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise

(recipe from fatfreevegan.com)

One 12.3 oz. package firm silken tofu
1/2 cup raw cashews (about 2 oz.)
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. prepared mustard, any variety
1/8 tsp. granulated onion powder
salt to taste

Drain water from tofu and place it and all other ingredients except salt in a high-speed blender.  Blend at highest speed until light and creamy.  Add salt to taste and blend again.  Seal tightly and keep refrigerated.  Stir before each use.

(I tried this recipe because I needed mayo for the neighboring japanese pancake recipe and thought I'd give it a try.  Not crazy about using tofu, as I've been trying to steer away from using so many legume-based products.  But I found this to be a nice mayo substitute.  I did not drain the tofu first.  I also added more onion powder and lemon juice than called for, because I like a tangy mayo.  It kept well in the fridge for about a week, and was good both by itself spread on toast as well as mixed with other ingredients for a spicy dip.)

Melintzanosalata (Eggplant and Parsley Dip)

(recipe from Saveur magazine)

2 lbs. eggplant (about 2 large eggplants)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 green bell pepper, cored and roughly chopped
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper, to taste
toasted pita, for serving

Build a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to high.  Grill eggplants, turning, until charred and soft, 18-20 minutes.  [I just roasted the eggplants whole in the oven for about an hour.]  Let cool.  Peel eggplants; scoop out seeds.  Chop eggplants; drain in strainer for 30 minutes.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat.  Add peppers; cook for 10 minutes.  Add jalapenos and continue cooking until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to bowl of food processor along with reserved eggplant, remaining oil, parsley, vinegar, and garlic.  Process until slightly chunky.  Season with salt and pepper.  Chill to meld flavors.  Serve with pita.

(Tangy!  I did not strain my eggplant, which cut time, but my dip ended up a little too watery.  Also, since I just roasted in the oven instead of grilling, my dip may not have been as smoky as intended.  But I enjoyed this, nonetheless, eaten on rice crackers and tortilla chips, as I'm trying to avoid wheat.)