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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Roasted Eggplant Appetizer & Other Veggies

I'm sharing two reicpes. One for Mediteranean Eggplant and scroll down for Middle Eastern Roasted vegetables.
Roasted eggplant appetizer in a bowlMediterranean Roasted Eggplant is simple to make.
It's a fat free,gluten free, and vegan side dish that is very tasty but low in calories ( It's 0 points Plus on WW) as well.

It's a perfect recipe for dieters or for those looking for some variety to spice up their meal. We love to roast veggies because roasting really brings out their sweet flavor, and it makes any vegetable taste amazing.

We eat roasted eggplant as a spread on gluten free crackers or as a side dish with our dinner or a topping on veggie burgers.

When I am roasting , I usually try to roast a few different kinds of veggies at the same time. I might put in cauliflower that I seasoned and sprayed with olive oil, or sliced zucchini or grape or cherry tomatoes sliced down the middle. See pictures at end of this post of those vegetables.

 The grape or cherry tomatoes are my favorite because they  become especially sweet and  delicious. I use them on burgers instead of ketchup.

I combine cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and garlic which I spray with olive oil and could be topped with  a little Parmesan cheese.  All of these side dishes are low calorie, low fat, and gluten free. As you can tell from the picture, the spread is not particularly pretty, but the garlic and fresh lemon with the sweet roasted eggplant are absolutely delicious.

Mediterranean Roasted Eggplant

Ingredients
2 whole eggplants, washed
6-8 cloves fresh garlic, unpeeled
1 clove peeled, pressed
1  whole fresh lemon, squeeze juice of entire lemon
Optional: 1 TBSP olive oil ( if you don't mind the calories)
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions:
Place whole unpierced eggplant and unpeeled garlic on a cookie sheet. Bake at 500 for about 45 minutes or until eggplant splits open and the inside pulp is very soft ( soft enough to scoop out). Scoop out the eggplant ( discarding seeds and skin of eggplant) and place in a bowl (the eggplant will cook down and won't make as much as you think.)
 Squeeze the inside of the unpeeled garlic into the eggplant ( it will be soft and sweet) AND add the pressed raw garlic if you are a garlic lover. Add the juice of 1 fresh lemon and olive oil if desired. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper.Serve warm or cold. Enjoy on GF crackers, GF bread, or with other veggies.



eggplants
Wash eggplants well and place egpplant and unpeeled garlic on a cookie sheet

Bake in oven at 500 for about 45 minutes or until eggplants split and are very soft


Remove eggplant from oven. Take a fork and scrape soft eggplant into a dish ( discard seeds and juice)

Mix with the other ingredients and serve as a side dish or on GF crackers

Other Veggies That I Roasted At the Same Time

These can be cooked with the eggplant but will finish in about 25 minutes




Before roasting I put these in a large zip loc bag with seasoning and shook. Then sprayed them
If you aren't concerned with calories, put olive oil in the baggie too.. will really crisp up when roasting.
Put these on the bottom shelf so they don't burn and check after about 1/2 hour.


Sprinkle with a little Parmesan or we prefer to squeeze lemon juice on top. 

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15 comments:

  1. I love Mediterranean seasoning on veggies. It always makes for a delicious combination! Your roasted veggies look great.You are right roasting does bring out their sweet flavor.

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  2. Can't wait to try this with the eggplant in my fridge! Your roasted veggies are making me hungry. Great post!

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  3. I always find eggplant to be a food that I cant believe. Its so decadent and lovely.. yet good for you!

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  4. I love roasting vegetables, it makes them taste so good! Your Roasted eggplant spread / dip sounds so delicious, as well as wonderfully nutritious as well.

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  5. Looks so healthy! Thanks for linking to Food on Fridays!

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  6. Yum! This looks great...can't wait to try it! I love roasted veggies :)

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  7. Thanks for linking to Tasty Tuesdays! You will be featured at this weeks party. Come by and grab a featured button. http://nap-timecreations.blogspot.com/

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  8. YUM! Thanks for posting this! I love spreads and dips so this is going in my recipe folder right now ...!!

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  9. I love eggplant, I bet this is good! I'll be sure to try it.

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  10. Hi Judee,
    I just roasted veggies! Thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a great week and come back soon!
    Miz Helen

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  11. Roasted eggplant has become a new love of mine, but if you can imagine, I have not tried it this way yet. Crazy right? I'll give your method a try since I'm always looking for new ideas. Thanks for sharing this with the real food community at Whole Food Wednesdays.

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  12. This is a very popular dip/spread over here in Europe- Baba Ghanoush- I certainly recommend trying this recipe, it tastes delicious! Thanks for coming to Natural Mother's “Seasonal Celebration Sunday.” I would love to see you again next week!! Rebecca x

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  13. This looks fantastic. I like the meal you put together. It is Mediterranean Diet Month and I am celebrating it on my blog. Please share this on my foodie friday party today.

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  14. YUM! I totally wanna dig some cabbage into that mix! :)

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Your comments are appreciated. I love knowing who is stopping by to read my posts! Have a great day.