This is my standard baba ganoush recipe. I’ve experimented with other recipes and tried fancying this one up with other ingredients, but I keep coming back to this basic recipe.  If you’re a baba novice—or if you’re used to the higher-fat versions served in restaurants—you may want to try using more tahini. Also, the amount of lemon juice and garlic is adjustable to personal taste; start small and add more as you go.

Serves: 4

• 1 large eggplant, about 1 1/2 pounds
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 2 cloves garlic (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon tahini (or more, to taste)
• ground cumin

Preheat oven to 425 (or better yet, do this on your barbecue grill!) With a fork, punch a bunch of holes in the eggplant and place it on a baking dish or sheet. Cook for about 45 minutes, until the eggplant is all sunken in.

Remove from the heat and let it cool until you can peel it safely. Peel and put it in a food processor. Add the salt, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini, and process until it’s smooth. Serve sprinkled with cumin and surrounded by the vegetables of your choice.

Susan Voisin is the author and photographer of the immensely popular, award-winning blog, FatFree Vegan Kitchen. ^[1] 

• Explore VegKitchen’s selection of flavorful snacks and dips. ^[2]
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