Simple, Healthy Eggplant Dip Recipe

We were at my family’s beach house last weekend, and my soon-to-be brother-in-law Jason decided to get creative in the kitchen.  My mom had a bunch of eggplants lying around and Jason decided to make an eggplant dip.  This was such a great and easy side dish.

Eggplants are in season now through the fall.  They are high in fiber and have a number of vitamins and minerals.  Eggplants are low-calorie and contain anti-oxidants.  Some studies have shown that eggplant consumption can protect the heart.  Other benefits from eating eggplants regularly may include lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.

Try this recipe – it’s a great way to add eggplant to a meal in a different way!

Jason’s Easy Eggplant Dip

Ingredients:

Whole eggplant – the fresher the better (can use any size or as many as you need for the number of people you want to serve)

– Lemon
– Salt
– Pepper
– Paprika
– Garlic (optional)

Instructions:

– Heat grill to high or oven to 450 (grill is preferable because it gives a nice smoky flavor).
– Rinse and dry eggplant. Do not cut.
– When oven is hot put whole eggplant on grill or in oven.
– When eggplant starts to collapse on itself (10 to 15 minutes or so), flip it.
– Remove eggplant from heat when it’s totally soft (it will look like a partially deflated balloon).
– Put eggplant aside under some foil until it is cold enough to handle.
– Pour off excess liquid (you can push down on the foil to extract more liquid).
– When it’s cool enough to handle either peel off the skin or scoop out the inside of the eggplant.
– Put the inside of the eggplant into a bowl large enough for mixing.
– Squeeze in ¼ of a lemon, sprinkle some salt, add a dash of paprika, and grind some pepper.
– Using two forks, start to pull apart the eggplant, and when it starts falling apart, use a fork to whisk as if beating an egg.
– If using garlic, add finely minced garlic.
– Taste, and add more lemon, salt, pepper, and paprika if desired.
– Can also add a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

Jason made up this dip on the spot, and it was absolutely delicious.  Cheers to my creative future brother-in-law!