My niece asked for my recipe after coming to visit.
It was a delight to have her appreciate our time together.
Ingredients:
- 1-15.5 Oz. Can of Garbanzo Beans
- ½ tsp Ground Cumin
- 3 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1½ Tbsp Tahini
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ tsp Za’atar Spice (Optional)
- 4 Oz. Roasted Red Peppers (Optional) You Can Use Jarred Peppers or Roast Your Own!
- Substitute Black Beans or any Bean of Your Choice (Optional)
Directions:
Drain the juice from the garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and set juice aside. Empty the drained chickpeas, roasted red peppers, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, cumin, cayenne, salt and za’atar spice (if you are using) into an electric blender or food processor and puree until smooth. If the mixture appears dry, add the chickpea juice a Tablespoon at a time until the mixture looks and tastes soft and fluffy.
How to Roast Peppers and Eggplant:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant or peppers from sticking to the pan.
For Eggplant: wash and dry about 2 lbs of eggplant. Cut them in half lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place them on a prepared baking sheet with halved sides down. Roast until the eggplant interior is very tender and the skin is collapsing, about 35-40 minutes. Set the eggplants aside to cool. When it has cooled, scoop out the flesh with a large spoon leaving the skin behind.
For Red Pepper: wash and dry 1 large pepper. Cut in half and remove seeds, stem and membranes (that’s the white fleshy part inside the pepper). Brush both sides with olive oil and place them on a rimmed baking sheet covered in parchment paper and roast at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes on each side until there is a char on the skin. When it is fork -tender and looking slightly dark, remove and let cool. Peel off the dark skin and you have beautiful roasted peppers!
To Make the Baba Ganoush:
Follow the recipe above just substitute the Roasted Eggplant for the Garbanzo beans (chickpeas), reduce the lemon juice to 2 Tbsp and eliminate the roasted red peppers.
Tips:
Serve with your favorite crackers, chips, fresh veggies or use as a spread on a sandwich
