Roasted Eggplant & Feta Dip

Roasted Eggplant & Feta Dip

From Eating Well 500 Calorie Dinners

Lately we have had so much eggplant I wasn’t sure what to do with it! If you like hummus you will definitely like this yummy dip for veggies and pita chips!!

Servings: 12 (1/4 cup each)

1 med. eggplant (about 1 lb.)

2 T. lemon juice

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

½ cup finely chopped red onion

1 small bell pepper, finely chopped

1 small chile pepper, such as jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)

2 T. chopped fresh basil

1 T. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste

¼ tsp. salt

Pinch of sugar (optional)

1. Position oven rach about 6 inches from the heat source; preheat broiler.

2. Line a baking pan with foil. Place eggplant in the pan and poke a few holes all over it to vent steam (I put mine straight on a broiler pan instead). Broil the eggplant, turning with tongs every 5 minutes, until the skin is charred and a knife inserted into the dense flesh near the stem goes in easily, 14-18 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board until cool enough to handle.

3. Put lemon juice in a medium bowl. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and scrape the flesh into the bowl, tossing with lemon juice to help prevent discoloring. Add oil and stir with a fork until it is absorbed (the eggplant should be a little chunky). Stir in feta, onion, bell pepper, chile pepper, basil, parsley, cayenne and salt. Taste and add sugar if desired.

* I pureed everything in a blender afterwards because I like a smooth consistency. It turned out great and had a beautiful consistent look to it.

Nutrition Info: 75 calories; 6g fat; 2g sat. fat; 6g chol; 129mg sod; 2g protein

Roasted Eggplant