Conquer ‘Veggie-Phobia’ With This Delicious Eggplant Recipe

It can be a real struggle to include more vegetables in your family’s diet. Baptist Health South Florida has teamed up with the Frost Science Museum to show you how to create this healthy and nutritious eggplant dish.

Fun Facts About Eggplant

• They are a good source of fiber. (Important for your heart and digestive track).
• Eggplant is a member of the nightshade (or potato) family.
• Often used as a meat substitute.
• Eggplant can be purple, green, white or striped, pear or cylindrical shaped, and from the size of a golf ball to a football.
• Florida produces the majority of eggplants in the United States.
• It is called “eggplant” because the original plant produced small, oval-shaped white fruit that resembled an egg.

Recipe

‘Eggcellent’ Eggplant Dip (Baba Ganoush)

Ingredients
• 1 eggplant
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cloves of garlic
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• pinch or ¼ tsp of sea salt (optional)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Rinse eggplant under running water and dry. Optional: peel skin with vegetable peeler.
3. Chop eggplant into cubes.
4. Line baking tray with parchment paper. Place eggplant cubes on tray.
5. Bake for 45 minutes, or until eggplant is soft and lightly browned.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
7. In a food processor, place chopped eggplant with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy.
8. For best taste, allow to sit in refrigerator at least a couple of hours.
9. Enjoy with whole grain bread or crackers, or your favorite vegetables.

Tags: community health, Frost Science Museum, healthy recipes, Lucette Talamas