Sunnys Easy Eggplant Dip Recipes

Steps:

• For the dip: In a food processor, add the cream cheese, dill, cucumber and 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice and pulse until smooth. Taste and add more lemon juice if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve. For the eggplant: Place the eggplant spears on a baking sheet and lightly brush with the oil just to coat. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, Greek seasoning, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add the eggplant in batches and coat with the flour mixture, shaking to remove the excess, then remove to a plate. For the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, Greek seasoning, lemon zest and a nice pinch of salt until combined. Slowly whisk in the beer until you achieve a pancake batter consistency; you may not use all of the beer. Allow the batter to rest 5 minutes. If it thickens, loosen with a bit more beer. Heat a fryer filled with oil to the proper level or a pot with about 2 inches of oil to 365 degrees F. In batches, dunk the flour-coated eggplant spears into the batter, shake off the excess and gently place in the oil. Fry until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes, making sure to maintain an oil temperature around 350 degrees F. Remove the eggplant to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately spritz lightly with lemon juice and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Serve immediately with the chilled dip.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Grill the eggplant over the gas grill or prick and roast in a hot oven until it is extremely soft inside.
• When cool, split the eggplant open and gently scrape the seeds out, using a melon-baller or large spoon. Pull away the skin, drain the liquid, and chop the pulp in 1/2-inch cubes.
• Gently score the outer skin of the pomegranate into quarters. Place the entire pomegranate in a large bowl filled with water. With your hands under the water, gently pull the skin off and remove the seeds, which will fall to the bottom. Drain off the water, discard the outer skin and fiber, dab the seeds dry, and proceed. Reserve 1/4 cup of the seeds for garnish.
• Place the remaining seeds over a sieve and press out the juice with your hands. You should have approximately 1/4 cup juice. Discard the pulp and seeds.
• In a nonmetallic bowl, mix the eggplant with the pomegranate juice, tahina, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Adjust the amount of pomegranate juice and lemon to your taste. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse the mixture until smooth but not mushy.
• Spread mixture on a flat suraface and sprinkle with chopped parsley and the reserved pomegranate seeds, dried cherries, or dried cranberries. Serve with pieces of warm pita for dipping.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to hot (220°C; 425°-450°F; 7-8 Gas Mark); pierce the eggplant all over with a fork or skewer; place the whole eggplant and the quartered onion on an oiled oven tray, brush lightly with olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Turn the eggplant and onion pieces.
• After the eggplant and onion have been baked for another 10-15 minutes (a total of 35-45 minutes), add the garlic cloves to the baking tray and bake the vegetables for approximately 15 more minutes. The eggplant and onion should have been now baked for about an hour and the eggplant, the onion and the garlic should all have softened.
• Set aside the eggplant, onion and garlic for about 15 minutes or until they have cooled; peel the eggplant; discard the skin; and chop the flesh coarsely.
• Blend or process the eggplant flesh, the onion pieces and the cloves of garlic with the remaining ingredients (except for the chopped walnuts) until the mixture is smooth; cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours or preferably overnight.
• Combine the chopped walnuts with the dip and serve it with pita bread or crusty rolls as part of an antipasto mezze platter.

Steps:

• Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch slices.
• Salt and pepper.
• Dip in beaten egg.
• Dredge in bread crumbs mixed with parmesan cheese.
• Fry till golden brown.
• Place in baking dish.
• Pour spaghetti sauce over top.
• Top with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
• Serve over angel hair pasta and with a salad.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prick the eggplant with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake until soft, about 45 minutes. When cool, split in half and remove seeds. Scoop out the flesh and coarsely chop. Place in a bowl.
• Stir the onion, garlic and tomatoes into the eggplant. Stir in the olive oil and lemon juice. Stir in basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Serve.