Eggplant mayonnaise can be used like regular mayo, is good added to pita or wraps, used as a veggie dip, or tossed with a salad. With a few more ingredients it makes a nice marinade to roasted or grilled meats or vegetables.
The eggplant can be steamed or baked regardless of which recipe (tahini or Dijon mustard) you decide to use.
Other additional seasonings and fresh herbs or spices may be added as desired. Get creative!
An aside note:
Due to an allergy to mushrooms and many fungi, I found that eggplant is an excellent substitute for mushrooms in many recipes — as well as having far more versatility. It is similar in moisture content to fresh mushrooms when being cooked too — unlike some of the recommended substitutes. No, the taste isn’t the same, but eggplant still tastes good in all the same recipes — as well as tasting great no matter how you decide to season it.
It has a very subtle flavor as well as being good at absorbing the flavors around it. So it is a great way to sneak in an extra serving of veggies with stir fry, casseroles, stews, chili, cooked pasta sauces, etc.
The skin is edible but best if the eggplant is young and small. The older and larger the eggplant, the tougher and chewier the skin. It also depends greatly upon how it is prepared as to how much tenderness the skin retains.
Eggplant mayonnaise with tahini:
1 eggplant
1 to 2 tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp tahini
1 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Eggplant mayonnaise with Dijon mustard:
1 eggplant
1-1/2 cups olive oil
1 to 2 clove garlic, crushed or 1 to 1-1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
To make own tahini, see my blog:
Basic Hummus, Traditional Hummus, & Tam’s Tex-Mex Bean Dip Flavored Hummus
To Bake:
Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees.
Cut eggplant in half lengthwise.
Baste the halves with olive oil using a pastry brush each with 1 teaspoon of oil. If you don’t have a pastry brush, using very clean hands, rub the olive oil on.
Wrap each half individually into a well sealed heavy duty foil packet. Place in middle of centered oven rack.
As a precaution, you may place a baking sheet with sides centered underneath on oven rack below them in case of accidental leaks. Or place packets directly onto baking sheet and place baking sheet on center oven rack.
Bake about an 50 to 60 minutes, or until tender.
Remove from the oven and rest until cooled before opening foil packets.
Scoop out the flesh from the eggplant and put into a food processor or blender. Baked, the skin is most likely to be far too tough and chewy, but you can take a test bite to check first and if desired leave it on for additional nutrients and fiber.
Add remaining ingredients.
Process or blend stopping to scrape sides as needed to emulsify the ingredients.
To Steam:
Slice the eggplant.
Steam the eggplant slices until soft, and when cool enough to handle remove skin by tracing along outer edges of slices carefully with a sharp pairing knife.
Note: You can leave the skin on if desired, but it tends to be a little on the chewy, tough side depending upon size and age of the eggplant. Recommend taking a test bite to check first before deciding. If tender enough, then it is healthier to leave the skin on. It is more likely to remain tender if steamed rather than baked, — but, again, it depends largely upon the the size and age of the eggplant.
Put the steamed slices into a blender or food processor.
Add the remaining ingredients to the blender or food processor.
Emulsify until smooth stopping to scrape sides as needed.
When finished making either mayo, season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a sealed jar or airtight container. Store leftovers in refrigerator 3 to 5 days. Stir as needed prior to use.
For marinade, use 1/4 to 1/2 cup, and:
The tahini version can be stirred or whisked into 1/4 cup low sodium soy, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1/4 cup choice of any vinegar to be used as a marinade prior to grilling or roasting any meat or vegetables.
The Dijon version only needs to be stirred or whisked into 1/4 cup low sodium soy and 1/4 cup choice of any vinegar to be used as a marinade.
Optionally, you may also add a red wine or sherry and any additional seasonings as desired.
Note: Eggplant mayo is great “as is” as well as when made into marinade for brushing onto veggie kabobs prior to grilling or roasting! If using tahini version, simply brush on a tiny bit of olive oil if needed after applying mayo to the kabobs.
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