falafel-stuffed eggplant with tahini sauce and tomato relish

We’ve been harvesting a ton of these lovelies recently.

I am an eggplant lover.  Taylor is a hater.

The one thing Taylor loves just about more than anyone I know is falafel.  So when I stumbled upon a recipe in Cooking Light magazine for falafel stuffed eggplant I knew I had to give it a try.

If I couldn’t win my husband over with falafel stuffed eggplant I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d ever eat eggplant again. I nervously stuffed my eggplant with all the falafel fixings, made a creamy tahini dressing and tomato relish, popped everything into the oven and said a silent prayer.

Once the eggplant was cooked I removed it from the oven trying not to salivate over how wonderful it smelled.  I was hopeful. And guess what? He loved it!  Not just the falafel stuffing or all the fixings.  He actually liked the roasted eggplant itself.  I don’t think I have to dine on eggplant by myself anymore. Yay!

Falafel-Stuffed Eggplant with Tahini Sauce and Tomato Relish (inspired by Cooking Light Magazine)

Tahini Sauce:

2 tbs tahini

3 tbs warm water

juice of half a lemon

1 tsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp ground cumin

dash of red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove minced

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combine. Set aside.

Relish:

1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes,

1/2 cup chopped, cucumber (peeled)

1/2 half cup of red onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tbs lemon juice

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

Eggplant:

2 medium size eggplants

2 tbs olive oil

1 onion chopped

1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 tbs tahini

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

dash of salt and pepper

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

2 large eggs

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

To prepare the eggplant, slice the eggplants in half lengthwise; score cut sides with a crosshatch pattern. Place eggplants cut side down on a greased baking sheet and roast in a 475 degree oven for about 7-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and scoop out insides leaving 3/4 inch shell. (reserve the insides for another use)

Combine all the rest of the eggplant ingredients in a food processor.  Process until smooth.  Spoon 1/2 cup of chickpea mixture into eggplant halves. Bake at 475 for 25 minutes or until eggplant is tender and chickpea mixture is slightly browned.  Serve hot and top each eggplant with a healthy drizzle of tahini sauce and a scoop of relish.  Enjoy!