We’ve been hooked on Yotam Ottolenghi’s vegetarian cookbook “Plenty” for a couple of months now and have made this dish about 10 times. It’s insane. And since baby eggplants are in season right now, this is the perfect time to fire up your grill and get your eggplant on. Our adaption uses skim milk instead of buttermilk and non-fat Greek yogurt instead of whole milk.
From a nutritional standpoint, while eggplant doesn’t have an overwhelming percentage of any one nutrient, it does have a wide range of vitamins and minerals including fiber, folic acid, potassium and maganese; vitamins B1, B6, C and K; and contains almost no cholesterol or saturated fat. It’s also a great meat substitute.
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10 mins | Servings: 4
Ingredients:
4 baby eggplants
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
1 tsp za’atar (can be found in Middle Eastern supermarkets or online. If you don’t have it, use 1/2 tsp of thyme and 1/2 tsp of cumin)
1 tsp pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar if you want to cut out carbs)
1 tsp skim milk
1/2 cup low fat Greek yogurt
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
Directions:
1. Heat grill to medium high or pre-heat broiler.
2. Cut eggplants in half length-wise and with a paring knife, make cross-hatch incisions in the cut side of the eggplant without piercing the skin.
3. Brush olive oil on cut side of eggplants, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and za’atar.
4. Put eggplants on grill skin-side down for five minutes, then turn over and cook for another 5 minutes, or until flesh is soft and browned. Remove from grill.
5. In a bowl, mix skim milk, Greek yogurt, 1 tsp olive oil, garlic and lemon until smooth. Pour over eggplant slices.
6. Sprinkle additional za’atar over yogurt sauce and then top with a little bit of pomegranates molasses (or balsamic vinegar). Serve immediately.
Enjoy!