If you’ve been following the DASH diet, which is basically a diet aimed at lowering blood pressure, then a meal idea like this baba ghanoush recipe can be the perfect option for a tasty and healthy lunch or dinner.
Made primarily of eggplants, baba ghanoush is low in sodium and incredibly flavorful without the use of unhealthy fats or other unhealthy ingredients. It is also a recipe that is very easy to whip up with a food processor or blender.
The trick to creating a tasty baba ghanoush recipe is to grill your vegetables first. Grilling the vegetables adds another dimension of flavor and amplifies the flavor potential of some of the ingredients, especially the garlic. The grilled garlic brings lovely caramelized flavor to this baba ghanoush, contributing to its irresistible nature.
Sticking to the DASH diet guidelines, this baba ghanoush dip is served with whole wheat pita bread. Half a pita served with two tablespoons of this baba ghanoush contains only 150 mg of sodium, while offering 12 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein. This recipe also has no added sugars, no cholesterol, and only 1 gram of saturated fat per serving.
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Cook time: 30 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Idle time:
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Level
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Servings:
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Ingredients
- 1 bulb garlic about 8 cloves
- 2 eggplants sliced lengthwise, skin removed
- 1 red bell pepper halved and seeded
- Juice of 1 lemon about 4 tbsp
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp black pepper or to taste
- 2 rounds of whole-wheat pita or other flatbread
Instructions
- Grease your grill with a cooking spray, then turn on one side of the grill to high heat.
- Slice off the top of the garlic bulb, wrap the bulb in foil, then place the foiled-wrapped bulb on the cool side of your grill. Roast the garlic for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the eggplant slices and bell pepper on the heated side of your grill, grilling each side for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Once the garlic has finished roasting, squeeze the garlic out of the bulb and into a food processor (or blender). Add the grilled eggplant, red bell pepper, lemon juice, basil, olive oil, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Serve the baba ghanoush warm or cold with the pita bread. Optional: warm the pita bread on the grill for a few seconds first.
Additional information
Recipe adapted from mayoclinic.org
