If you still have fresh-from-the-garden eggplant to use, you'll be happy to see this week's recipe.
I based it on a traditional Middle Eastern eggplant dip, Baba Ghanoush. However, I tweaked it a bit including using navy beans to give it a heartier consistency.
While you have the oven going, you can also make your own pita chips to go with the flavorful dip.
Bean-y Baba Ghanoush
1 head or bulb of garlic
1 large eggplant (approximately 1 lb)
¾ c navy beans, drained & rinsed
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp. tahini
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup + 1 tsp. olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove outer, papery skin from garlic bulb. Slice the top ½ inch off of bulb, drizzle 1 tsp. of olive oil over the garlic and rub your fingers over the garlic making sure it’s evenly coated with oil. Place in an oven-safe ramekin and cover with foil.
Slice eggplant in half. Put it on a cookie sheet and put the eggplant and garlic in oven. Pull the garlic out after 30 minutes. Give the eggplant another 15 minutes, and then take it out of the oven. Let garlic and eggplant to cool so you can handle them.
Scoop out the inside of eggplant and put into blender or food processor. Remove each clove of garlic from bulb and smoosh between your fingers and then throw into blender or food processor. Add beans, lemon juice, salt, tahini and remaining olive oil. Blend or process until smooth.
To make pita chips, take four pitas and slice each one into six sections. Brush olive oil onto the pita triangles, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes flipping them once during the cooking time. Enjoy with your dip!
