Tahini-Dressed Roasted Eggplant
Tahini-Dressed Roasted Eggplant
Like Middle Eastern cuisine? You’ll love this dazzling side dish of tahini-dressed roasted eggplant rounds, arranged in layers that are lovingly interspersed with fresh parsley. It’s a showstopper, so also consider serving it as a stand-alone appetizer. Hint: If you have leftovers, add the eggplant and tahini dressing to a food processor and purée with an extra splash of lemon juice to make roasted eggplant dip.
Author: Jackie Newgent
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients
- 1 large (1¼-pound) eggplant, cut crosswise into 12 slices
- Olive oil cooking spray
- ¼ teaspoon + ⅛ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened green tea or vegetable broth
- Juice of 1 small lemon (2 tablespoons)
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- Pinch ground cumin, or to taste
- 16 large fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves + 4 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spritz both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil cooking spray.
- Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Arrange onto a large, unbleached parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven until fully cooked and lightly browned, about 30 minutes, flipping over eggplant rounds about halfway through the roasting process.
- Meanwhile, whisk together until smooth the tahini, tea, lemon juice, oil, garlic, cumin, and the
- remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup. Adjust seasoning.
- Onto 4 plates or a platter, arrange stacks of 3 eggplant rounds, placing the largest round on the bottom of each stack. Alternatively, fan out the eggplant rounds on a plate rather than stacking them. Position the parsley leaves between the layers, allowing the leaves to peek out. Drizzle with tahini dressing, garnish with the parsley sprigs, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
{WITH POULTRY, FISH, OR MEAT}
One serving: Combine 2 ounces extra-lean, ground, grass-fed beef or lamb with 1 tablespoon each plain fat-free Greek yogurt and grated yellow onion, ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint, and a pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Form into a thin (4-inch diameter) patty. Prepare in a small, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until done, about 2½ minutes per side, gently flipping over once during the cooking process. Serve one of the eggplant stacks on top of the beef patty or fan the 3 eggplant rounds around the patty. Alternatively, serve the beef patty in place of the center eggplant round—sort of like a hamburger, where the eggplant rounds act somewhat like the bun.
Full recipe: Combine 8 ounces extra-lean, ground, grass-fed beef or lamb with ¼ cup each plain fat-free Greek yogurt and grated yellow onion, 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint, and ¼ teaspoon each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Form into 4 thin (4-inch diameter) patties. Prepare in a large, nonstick skillet (in batches) over medium-high heat until done, about 2½ minutes per side, gently flipping over once during the cooking process. Serve each of the eggplant stacks on top of a beef patty or fan eggplant rounds around the patties. Alternatively, serve a beef patty in place of each center eggplant round—sort of like hamburgers, where the eggplant rounds act somewhat like the buns.
without
Exchanges/Food Choices: 2 Vegetable, 1½ Fat
120 calories, 70 calories from fat, 8g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 220mg sodium, 210mg potassium, 13g total carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 4g sugars, 3g protein, 110mg phosphorus
with
Exchanges/Food Choices: 2 Vegetable, 2 Lean Meat, 2 Fat
200 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 30mg cholesterol, 400mg sodium, 390mg potassium, 15g total carbohydrate, 4g dietary fiber, 5g sugars, 15g protein, 220mg phosphorus
Copyright © 2014 by Jacqueline A. Newgent, RDN, CDN. From The With or Without Meat Cookbook. Reprinted with permission from The American Diabetes Association. To order this book call 1-800-232-6733 or order online at www.shopdiabetes.org .
One serving: Combine 2 ounces extra-lean, ground, grass-fed beef or lamb with 1 tablespoon each plain fat-free Greek yogurt and grated yellow onion, ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint, and a pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Form into a thin (4-inch diameter) patty. Prepare in a small, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until done, about 2½ minutes per side, gently flipping over once during the cooking process. Serve one of the eggplant stacks on top of the beef patty or fan the 3 eggplant rounds around the patty. Alternatively, serve the beef patty in place of the center eggplant round—sort of like a hamburger, where the eggplant rounds act somewhat like the bun.
Full recipe: Combine 8 ounces extra-lean, ground, grass-fed beef or lamb with ¼ cup each plain fat-free Greek yogurt and grated yellow onion, 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint, and ¼ teaspoon each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Form into 4 thin (4-inch diameter) patties. Prepare in a large, nonstick skillet (in batches) over medium-high heat until done, about 2½ minutes per side, gently flipping over once during the cooking process. Serve each of the eggplant stacks on top of a beef patty or fan eggplant rounds around the patties. Alternatively, serve a beef patty in place of each center eggplant round—sort of like hamburgers, where the eggplant rounds act somewhat like the buns.
without
Exchanges/Food Choices: 2 Vegetable, 1½ Fat
120 calories, 70 calories from fat, 8g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 220mg sodium, 210mg potassium, 13g total carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 4g sugars, 3g protein, 110mg phosphorus
with
Exchanges/Food Choices: 2 Vegetable, 2 Lean Meat, 2 Fat
200 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 30mg cholesterol, 400mg sodium, 390mg potassium, 15g total carbohydrate, 4g dietary fiber, 5g sugars, 15g protein, 220mg phosphorus
Copyright © 2014 by Jacqueline A. Newgent, RDN, CDN. From The With or Without Meat Cookbook. Reprinted with permission from The American Diabetes Association. To order this book call 1-800-232-6733 or order online at www.shopdiabetes.org .
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 3 eggplant rounds
