Quinoa Eggplant Caviar

What a wonderful idea to mix roasted eggplant with the rock star of grains, quinoa! When the creamy, sweet eggplant is pureed with a few zesty ingredients and stirred into the nutty grain, the result, Quinoa Caviar, is as surprising as it is delicious and nutritious.

This caviar is uniquely different and delicious. When cooked, quinoa really does resemble fish eggs, so you may get some puzzled stares or comments from your guests. As a spread, it’s an easy way to get some of this super-nutritious quinoa into your diet.

INGREDIENTS
1 eggplant
2 onions, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
Salt and pepper
¼ cup minced cilantro
¼ cup minced parsley
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Roast eggplant.

2. Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Stir in the quinoa and lightly toast for 1 minute. Stir in the water and salt to taste; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the pan, and gently simmer the quinoa for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Uncover the pan and fluff the quinoa with a fork; transfer to a bowl and let cool.

3. Puree the eggplant with the cilantro, parsley, soy sauce, and lemon juice in a food processor. Stir this mixture into the quinoa. Adjust seasoning, adding soy sauce, pepper, or lemon juice to taste. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and parsley, if desired.

Makes 4 cups.

Read more: Food, All recipes, Appetizers & Snacks, Side Dishes

Adapted from Tassajara Cookbook, by Karla Oliveira (Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2007).

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

monka b.

1:38PM PST on Jan 15, 2012

My eggplant receipe: Take 2 eggplants and blanch them with boiling water, then prik them with a fork (about 12 times), bake them on a moderate heat until tender (about 35 minutes), peel off the skin and put them into a mixer Add 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced, add 4 tablespoons of Tahin (sesamepaste), add 2 teaspoons of lemonjuice, some herbal salt, and mix all the ingredients. Use some coriander leaves to garnish. Bon appetit.