Miami has become a hub of new restaurants and bars of which many have something in common – tapas style dining. Tapas style dining encourages diners to choose several small dishes to share amongst the table and I am here for the compartir. It allows you to experience different flavors in fun –sized portions while sharing the experience with others. Remember – there is no perfect food. So, the more variety of foods you consume, the more gaps in your nutrition you will fill.
Dips are undoubtedly at the forefront of tapas menus. The possibilities are endless! I’ll share my family babaghanoush recipe with you. It is a classic Middle Eastern dip made out of roasted eggplant mixed with tahini (sesame paste) which add good fats. Count this one for your veggie servings of the day because eggplant is a vegetable. You can eat it as a dip with crudite and fresh pita, spread on a sandwich, as a condiment, or just with a spoon out of the jar.
Babaganoush
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 clove garlic
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
- Olive oil to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Paprika powder (for garnish)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to broil.
- Peel the eggplant and slice lengthwise.
- Place the eggplant on paper towels.
- Sprinkle salt on both sides of the eggplant and let rest for 10 minutes while the eggplant releases moisture.
- Pat eggplant dry.
- Sprinkle eggplant with salt, pepper and olive oil and place on a baking sheet to bake in one layer.
- Bake for 10 minutes on each side.
- Remove from the oven and place in a food processor with lemon juice, tahini, garlic and olive oil.
- Pulse until smooth and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper, and olive oil to taste.
- Serve and garnish with paprika.
- Enjoy!
Miami restaurants charge $18.00 per serving for this – but you’ll save a pretty penny here.