Baba Ghanoush, The Raw Food Way!
This is a great time of year for food lovers. The farmer’s markets are brimming with fruit and vegetables, fresh and in season, waiting for us to enjoy. Eggplant, the glossy, deep purple member of the nightshade family is showing up in all of it’s various forms. I have always loved eggplant, especially in Baba Ghanoush (eggplant and garlic dip). I wanted a raw food recipe. Raw eggplant can be bitter and have an unpleasing texture. But if you dice and freeze it, once you thaw it, you can achieve the texture you need and also eliminates some of the bitterness associated with raw eggplant.
Nutritionally, eggplant contains chlorogenic acid which is one of the most potent free radical scavengers found in plants. Benefits attributed to chlorogenic acid include antimutagenic (anti-cancer), antimicrobial, anti-LDL (bad cholesterol) and antiviral activities. It is also very high in fiber.
This recipe is full of raw garlic, which I love and feel is the best thing about it! However, you might want to add it slowly to suit your taste.
Baba Ghanoush
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
- 1 large eggplant, diced, frozen and thawed
- 1/2 lemon, juice from
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- pinch of salt
- Advanced preparation: Peel, dice and freeze the eggplant. Thaw before you prepare the eggplant. Soak cashews.
- Start food processor and drop garlic, clove by clove into the spinning blade. It will fine dice it and throw it on the wall of the processor. Add the cashews and process until smooth. Add diced eggplant, lemon juice, olive oil and pinch of salt. Process until smooth. Enjoy with your choice of flat breads.
Susan wrote on April 9, 2011
You need to remove the skin for this recipe. If you have a question about your order, you can reach me at Susan@Rawmazing.com. Thanks!
Dulce wrote on April 6, 2011
Hi Susan! Will try this out tonight! Already froze my eggplant but I wasn’t able to peel it. Is it alright if it’s not peeled? Also, when you say dice, does it mean small cubes?
Thanks so much!
zenobia wrote on December 1, 2010
Mine isnt all brownish in color like the other recipe’s I’ve seen on the net. Guess I added way more tahini and cashews than the eggplant. But still tastes good – Thanks a lot.
Susan wrote on December 1, 2010
It is important to realize that if you change the ingredients in a recipe, or the way a recipe is made, the final outcome will change. Did you freeze your eggplant?
Kadie wrote on October 10, 2010
What is your experience with Freezing foods and maintaining enzymes? I have heard many different opinons on the subject, and wanted to ask what your thoughts were?
Susan wrote on October 10, 2010
All of my research indicates that freezing does not kill the enzymes. Actually, food that is frozen can retain higher levels of nutrients than food that has aged.
Maya wrote on September 6, 2010
How uncommon would it be if someone were to ask you what you had for breakfast this morning and you respond with: 1 whole uncooked eggplant and 1 whole uncooked sweet potato… hehehe.
I just had it for breakfast this morning! So quick and easy to make! I used raw tahini instead of cashews and it turned out deeeelish! I dehydrated sweet potato chips overnight and used the batch to dip 🙂
I’m Mediterranean so I grew up on this stuff, but cooked. I’d like my mom to give this a try and see what she thinks 😉
Thanks for the recipe!!
Lesli wrote on August 31, 2010
Susan, you rock. I am leaving for vacation soon and “forgot” that I have a beautiful, fresh eggplant from the farmers’ market from last week; also, it’s pretty warm out and was looking for a raw vegan eggplant recipe. I will peel, dice and freeze it, and when I get back I’ll look forward to making this. Thanks a lot! 🙂
Sarah wrote on February 12, 2010
Thanks for the tip on the freezing… I can’t wait to try this!
koyra wrote on February 7, 2010
just amazing!! we tried and we were speachless!
go on susan!!!