In the warmer months of the year my favorite dinner to fall back on when I’m short on time is hummus with all the accoutrements - toasted flat bread, olives, artichoke hearts, veggie sticks, etc. It’s so satisfying, light, healthy and easy. As the end of summer draws near and eggplant is in steady supply I begin to shift my hummus meals to baba ghanouj meals. The wonderfully earthy flavors of grilled or roasted eggplant combine with tahini and lemon juice to perfectly bridge the gap from warm days to cool nights.

My method includes smoking the eggplant, but you can easily grill or roast the eggplant instead. I personally love the flavor imparted by a nice slow smoke over hot coals. If you want to smoke the eggplant over a gas grill, you can place soaked wood chips in an aluminum foil packet. Poke some holes in the packet and place it over the lava rocks, stone or ceramic briquettes in your grill.

Baba Ghanouj

• mesquite chips, soaked 1 hour
• 6 small eggplant
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 c. tahihi
• water, as needed

Prepare the eggplant: If smoking over coals, prepare charcoal. If smoking over a gas grill, heat to medium - medium-high heat. If roasting, heat oven to 350 degrees F. If smoking, place soaked mesquite chips over heat source just prior to placing eggplant on grill. Slice eggplant in half lengthwise and place on prepared grill or in pre-heated oven and cook for approximately 30-40 minutes or until the eggplant is completely tender. At this point, you can continue with the recipe or store cooked eggplant and resume the next day.

Prepare the dip: Place the garlic in the dry clean bowl of a food processor and mince. Scoop eggplant from the skin and add to food processor. Add lemon juice and tahini. Process until smooth. If the mixture is too thick add a bit of water to achieve desired thickness. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if necessary.

Serve room temperature with toasted pita, olives and veggie sticks. The day I made this baba, I had purchased some baby bell peppers at the farmers’ market and decided to turn them into an appetizer presentation.

Yield: about 2 cups of dip

Click here for a printer friendly version of this recipe.

With the holiday season fast approaching many people have recently asked me if there are some healthier food options for holiday entertaining. My answers is always an enthusiastic, “Yes!”

The best news is that healthy options can still be very quick and easy to prepare. For a fun, attractive way to serve hummus or other dips, hollow out a small red or green cabbage to use as a bowl. Place it on a serving tray surrounded with pita chips or a variety of veggie sticks.

I recently served a hummus trio at an open house and had many requests for the recipes. Here is a recipe for roasted red pepper hummus. You can find recipes for my traditional hummus and black bean hummus by clicking on the links or going to the recipes category.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

• 1 medium garlic clove
• 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 large roasted red pepper*
• 1 large lemon, juiced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Mince the garlic in a clean, dry bowl of a food processor. Add the roasted red pepper, lemon juice, tahini, cumin, cayenne and salt. Process until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add water and /or olive oil to adjust to desired consistency. Garnish with finely chopped parsley.

*Instructions on how to roast a red pepper here.

Click here for a printer friendly version of this recipe.

• 1 clove garlic
• 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 lime, juiced
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, washed and patted dry
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced

Mince garlic in clean, dry bowl of a food processor. Add black beans, lime juice, tahini, cumin, salt and cayenne. Process till smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste and add water or olive oil till desired consistency is reached. Pulse in cilantro including stems. Mix until cilantro is well minced. Garnish with sliced scallion and additional cilantro if desired.

Click here for a printer friendly version of this recipe.

• 1 medium garlic clove
• 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 2 lemons, juiced*
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• fresh parsley, minced, for garnish

Mince garlic in clean, dry bowl of a food processor. Add remaining ingredients except parsley and process until smooth. Add water to reach desired consistency and adjust seasoning to taste. Spoon into serving bowl and garnish with minced parsley.

*Adjust amount of lemon juice to suit your personal taste.

Click here for a printer friendly version of this recipe.