When I eat this dish, I love scooping up the eggplant with heaps of lentils; the combination is so delish! I also serve it with a mixed green salad to add some raw to the meal and balance out the cooked. I usually prepare the lentils and the crumble while the eggplant is cooking. –Julie Cove
Instructions
Prep ahead of time: soak 1 cup black lentils in 3 cups filtered, alkaline water for 8–12 hours.
INGREDIENTS
Creamy Eggplant
2 large eggplants
coconut oil
¼ tsp sea salt plus more for sprinkling
freshly ground black pepper
2 large bulbs garlic
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Mediterranean Lentils
1 cup black lentils, soaked, drained, and rinsed
1/2 red onion, diced
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups filtered, alkaline water
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
10–12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Garlic Walnut Cheeze (makes 1 cup)
Do ahead: Soak 1 cup walnuts in 1 1/2 cups filtered, alkaline water overnight.
1 cup soaked walnuts, rinsed, drained well, and patted dry
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
Creamy Eggplant: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the eggplants lengthwise and score on the diagonal in 2 directions. Place them on a baking sheet, cut side up. Rub the cut sides with coconut oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
Slice the tops off the garlic and smear a bit of coconut oil over them. Add them to the tray with the eggplants and roast for 40–50 minutes, until soft and tender. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Mediterranean Lentils: Place the lentils, onion and bay leaf in a medium pot with the water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Turn down the heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are tender but not mushy or split, 20–30 minutes. Drain off any excess water. Stir in the bell pepper, tomatoes, parsley, salt and some black pepper.
Garlic Walnut Cheeze: Place the walnuts, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a fine crumble. Pour into a bowl to serve. This will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
To finish: Scoop the flesh from the eggplant into the bowl of a food processor (discard the skins) and squeeze the roasted garlic from the bulbs (discard the husks) into the same bowl. Add the ¼ tsp salt and the olive oil and process until smooth.
To serve, spread a generous layer of creamy eggplant onto 4 plates. Then add a generous scoop of lentil mixture on top. Sprinkle with the Garlic Walnut Cheeze and dig in.
