Baba Ganoush

Seriously, who came up with the name for this scrumptious dip? It’s fun to say, but I don’t understand how eggplant plus chickpeas equals baba ganoush. Either way, I can’t believe I’d never even tasted it before. Rachael, our former Vegetarian Pact contributor calls her adorable dog Baba Ganoush, but that stemmed from her love for “Wedding Crashers” and their use of the nickname in the movie. I asked her if she’d ever made it since I still like sharing recipes with her and even she hadn’t tested it out.

I usually struggle with what to do with eggplant so this dip is a nice way to put it to good use since it’s super cheap at the farm right now and it’s so healthy for you. I like it best a room temperature so it’s a nice, easy dish to bring to summer cookouts.

1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise

2 cup cooked chickpeas

1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

3 gloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp tahini (optional)

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Place eggplant halves, face up on a baking sheet and cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes
• Once cooked, peel skin off eggplant and put into food processor
• Add chickpeas, oil, garlic, tahini, salt, pepper and paprika and pulse until creamy
• Remove from processor and stir in parsley