Hey guys, day two of my eating seasonal challenge and today I’m cooking up a storm with Aubergine. Also known as Eggplant (America and Australia), Brinjal (South Asia, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore and the West Indies), Melongene (Caribbean) and my favourite… Mad-apple! What an awesome name. Aubergines are part of the nightshade family, They go really well in curries and are the staple ingredient in creamy babaganoush. Today I wanted to share with you this roasted aubergine recipe… a really simple way to enjoy aubergines, with my autoimmune friendly marinade and topped with a dairy free tahini dressing.
Aubergines come in all sorts of shapes and colours, from white to green, as well as purple. I love it when I’m smooching around a farmer’s market and I find ones that are stripes like rock, white at the stem to bright pink or deep purple at the base. These can look really pretty on the plate.
Nutritionally, aubergines are naturally low in fat. However, they are thirsty vegetables and like to absorb large amounts of cooking fat. Olive oil seems to be their tipple, soaking it up like a sponge so be mindful, you can consume a lot of additional calories from the oil, but it’s good monounsaturated oil and it tastes amazing. To prevent too much oil absorption you can try salting, draining and then rinsing sliced aubergines first before cooking.
Aubergines pair really well with Tahini. This dressing is one of my favourties. It’s mixed with wholegrain mustard for a little zingy sharpness to counterbalance the slight bitterness of the aubergine. I used Wholefoods own brand because it’s made using apple cider vinegar rather than malt vinegar and no added preservatives or sugar so totally compliant if you have an autoimmune disease or follow diets like SCD, Whole30, keto and GAPS.
This roasted aubergine recipe can be enjoyed on it’s own or as a side dish with a slice of paleo pie.
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 5 baby aubergines
Marinade
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch pink Himalayan salt
- 1 teaspoon coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Wholegrain mustard tahini dressing
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
- Small squeeze of lemon
- Pinch of Pink Himalayan or sea salt
To serve
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seed oil
- Red cabbage
- Pomegranate seeds
- Fresh parsley
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C (fan assisted).
Wash and slice the baby aubergines in half lengthways. Place on a baking tray.
Mix the marinade ingredients together and spread on the aubergines. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until soft.
Meanwhile, mix all the dressing ingredients together and place to one side.
Shred a handful of red cabbage and deseed the pomegranate.
When the aubergines are cooked, transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with the wholegrain mustard tahini dressing, 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seed oil, pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley. So easy, seasonal and cheap.
