I don’t know about you but I’m ready to get healthier with the foods I eat after the holidays. My daughter-in-law introduced me to a delicious and healthy appetizer that I love serving because it’s different than the usual cheese and crackers or relishes and dip.
Ingredients for a Healthy Appetizer
2 eggplant
2 jalapeño peppers, roasted and sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
½ onion, minced
2 diced roma tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
salt to taste
tablespoon olive oil
Preparation
Roast the eggplant and peppers. Instructions follow, or know you can microwave the eggplant and peppers for a faster prep time.
To roast the eggplant: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Cut the stem end and bottom off the eggplant, then cut it in half lengthwise. Brush the eggplant flesh with a small amount of olive oil, then place it face down on an non-greased baking sheet. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until the back of the eggplant looks collapsed and puckered. Remove from oven and let the eggplant cool for 10 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Scoop the inside of the eggplant from its skin and mash.
To roast the peppers: Set your oven to broil. Place whole jalapeno peppers on lightly oiled baking sheet. Broil 10-15 minutes, or until skins are thoroughly blackened. Turn peppers to other side and broil another 5-10 minutes, or until skins are thoroughly charred. Remove from heat and seal in a plastic baggie for 5 minutes. This will loosen the skin and allow for easier peeling. Once peeled, slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds, then chop jalapeno finely.
To prepare the dip: Put the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic. Add the tomatoes and cook a bit until soft. Add the cumin and salt, then the mashed eggplant and peppers and stir thoroughly together, heating for about 10 minutes.
The tastiest way to serve this is with warm parantha, an Indian bread that looks like tortillas, found in Asian food markets. It can be heated in a frying pan sprayed with Pam so it’s soft and warm. Cut the circular parantha into smaller pieces to serve. If it’s not convenient to get parantha, pita bread will do nicely as well, again, warm if possible.
One note: because of the eggplant, this dip is a brownish color so not particularly appetizing. But, trust me, once you or your guests dig in, it will vanish quickly.
If you are looking for other healthy ways to stay trim, we have One Secret to Stay Slim with No Diet or Exercise.
Prime Women magazine
