Roasted Eggplant with Lentils & Garlic Tahini Sauce

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Roasted Eggplant with Lentils & Garlic Tahini Sauce

About recipe

Roasted Eggplant with Lentils & Garlic-Tahini Sauce is a hearty dish that follows the Mediterranean diet, a healthy-eating pattern that’s linked to a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and other diseases.

This dish has all the staples ingredients that make the Mediterranean Diet so healthy: eggplant, which provides vitamins, minerals, and fiber; lentils, which provides protein and iron; and nuts and seeds, which provides healthy, unsaturated fat.

Ingredients (serves 1)

For the Eggplant & Lentils:

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 medium onion, finely diced
6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup brown or du Puy lentils
2 bay leaves
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 large eggplants, halved lengthwise
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
Salt & pepper to taste

For the Garlic Tahini Sauce

6 cloves of garlic
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup tahini paste
Water
Salt

Preparation

Make the sauce by combining garlic and lemon juice in a blender. Pulse until a pulpy puree is formed, about 15 short pulses. Transfer to bowl.
Add cumin and tahini paste to lemon/garlic juice and whisk to combine. The mixture will turn pasty.
Add water a few tablespoons at a time, whisking in between each addition, until a smooth, light sauce is formed. The tahini sauce should very slowly lose its shape if you let ribbons of it drop from the whisk into the bowl. Season to taste with salt. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 11/2 weeks.
Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion, stirring, until softened, about 4 min. Add garlic, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add lentils, broth, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, cover with the lid partially ajar, and cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
Remove lid, stir in vinegar, and reduce until lentils are moist, but not soupy. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover, and keep warm until ready to serve.
While lentils cook, score eggplant flesh with knife in a cross-hatch pattern at 1-inch intervals. Transfer to foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, cut side up, and brush each eggplant half with 1 tablespoon oil, letting it fully absorb before brushing with more. Season with salt and pepper. Place rosemary sprig on top of each. Transfer to oven and roast until tender and well charred, 25 to 35 minutes.
Stir half of parsley into lentils and place on platter. Arrange eggplant halves on top. Drizzle with tahini sauce and tops with nuts

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