Roasted Eggplant Boats With Spiced Chickpeas Recipes

ROASTED EGGPLANT BOATS WITH SPICED CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425˚F. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise. Puncture each eggplant with a fork and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and put in oven for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile in a saucepan, sauté shallots and garlic over medium heat for 5-8 minutes with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add grape tomatoes and spices and continue sautéing for 10 minutes, or until tomatoes are plump.
• Take the eggplants out of the oven once they are cooked. Carefully remove the flesh of the eggplant and add just the flesh to the sautéed tomatoes and leave the skin part of the eggplant aside. You will be stuffing them later.
• Continue sautéing tomatoes with eggplant flesh for about 5 minutes then add chickpeas. Cook for another 5 minutes. If the the mix is too dry add couple of tablespoons of water. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• To make the tahini sauce mix the tahini with lemon juice, add salt and pepper and some garlic powder to it. Mix well.
• Stuff eggplant boats with the chickpea mix, sprinkle with some chopped parsley and drizzle with tahini sauce. Serve it with some quinoa or fresh arugula salad.

ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH SPICED CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil two baking sheets (or use nonstick). Combine the 1/4 cup olive oil and the peanut oil. Brush eggplant slices on both sides with the mixture, then place on pans. Roast, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, spices and molasses, and bring to a simmer. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste. (The amount of sugar will depend on the tomatoes' sweetness; there should be a hint of sweetness in the mixture.) Simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook until thick, 5 to 10 minutes more. Stir in half the pine nuts and set aside.
• To serve, place a slice of eggplant on a platter and spoon tomato-chickpea mixture onto the wide end of the slice. Fold the narrower end of the slice over to cover the filling and place a mint leaf on top. Repeat with remaining slices and garnish with remaining pine nuts. Serve cold or at room temperature, topping each piece with a dollop of yogurt, if using.

SPICY CHICKEN EGGPLANT BOATS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Mix the oregano, salt, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder together in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Halve the eggplant, then use a paring knife to cut vertical and horizontal slits across the cut side, about 3/4-inch apart. (You want to create crosshatches across the whole surface without piercing through the skin on the other side.) Place the halves on the lined baking sheet.
• Spread each cut half with a tablespoon of olive oil, then split a heaping tablespoon of the spice mix between the two. Roast until the flesh is browned, tender and scoopable, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, then the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the harissa, ground chicken and the remaining spice mix (about 1 tablespoon). Cook the chicken, breaking it up so that it is in small pieces, until it is golden brown. Add the tomatoes and pine nuts. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thick, at least 20 minutes.
• Remove the eggplant from the oven and use a fork to scoop out the cooked insides, leaving the skins intact. Stir the scooped eggplant flesh into the tomato mixture, then fill the eggplant boats with the mixture. Return the boats to the oven and cook until the sauce is bubbling, another 10 minutes.
• Mix the yogurt, dill, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of water and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl, using a little more water to loosen the sauce if desired.
• Remove the eggplant boats from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Drizzle with the yogurt sauce, then sprinkle with the pine nuts and mint and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon olive oil.