Baba Ganoush-Hummus Pasta and Eggplant Caviar

Last Sunday night I pulled out my copy of Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book and made her Baba Ganoush-Hummus Pasta!

 My sister and I both really enjoyed this and it fed us for about 3 meals each! 

Not only is this healthy (and delicious) its also pretty inexpensive!  I think the most expensive thing were the pine nuts I got from bulk barn! She asks for tahini paste- however, the only jar I could find at Save-On was over $8.00... I decided I would substitute sunflower seed butter instead. It worked just fine. I'm sure it changed the taste of the sauce, but it wasn't a bad change! One day I won't cheap out, but I need to make sure I'll actually use the tahini before I purchase a GIANT jar! 

Anyway, check out the recipe here and enjoy! I think its a great alternative to the usual meat sauces we are so accustomed to. Plus, with summer around the corner, getting things like eggplant from the farmer's market (like I did- got mine from the City Market!) will make it even better!

Speaking of Eggplant, here is a great recipe for Eggplant Caviar my friend Kierstin gave me. She got it from some fantastic cookbook that isn't in print anymore. That cookbook is a gem! We ate the caviar in record time...
(sorry no pictures, but trust me, this is worth the effort!)

Eggplant Caviar:

1 large eggplant (about 18 oz)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp chopped capers (drained and rinsed first)

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves

Pinch sugar

Pita Crisps:

4 greek-style pitas

1 tbsp olive oil

paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 F

2. Place eggplant on a baking sheet and pierce several times with a fork.  Bake until soft and skin is cracked and wrinkled, about 45 min.  Let cool to the point that you can touch it without crying out in pain, then cut in half lengthwise.  Peel off skin, place skinned eggplant in colander and let drain for 45 min.  Finely chop eggplant.

3. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in a medium bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in eggplant, then toss in capers, parsley, basil and a pinch of sugar if eggplant tastes slightly bitter.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

4. Brush each pita with olive oil.  Sprinkle with paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper, then cut each pita into eight wedges.  Spread out evenly on baking sheet and bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until browned.

Do you like eggplant? How do you usually cook eggplant? Usually I grill pieces of it up, but these recipes are so much more fun!