Eggplant Cashew Spread

There is something truly special about the recipes we used to eat when we were kids. They are far from being simple meals, on the contrary, they are particularly comforting and sometimes just takes us back to the memory lane. That’s how I feel about the Eggplant salad.

The Eggplant salad was a common dish in my family. Although not official, there was a special event running in my family, taking place each mid autumn, the “harvest day”. My parents would buy, as I saw it, huge amounts of vegetables from the farmers’ market for us to “survive” the winter. My father would put up a small fire and grill the bell peppers and eggplants all afternoon. In the meantime, my mother and I would prepare colorful pickles, always worrying whether or not they would make it through the winter.

At the end of the day, we would properly end the celebration with a huge portion of eggplant salad, the best of the year.

Today, I still make eggplant salad, but I gave it a twist. I replaced the classic mayo with cashew mayo. I like to soak the cashews overnight, then blend them with a vertical blender in a very narrow vessel, until smooth. Sometimes, I like to add just a little mustard for flavor.

Did you used to eat eggplant salad as a child?

Preparation time 5 min
Cooking time 40 min
This recipe keeps for 3 days

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 3 medium Eggplant, raw
• 1/2 cup Cashews
• 3 tbsp Water
• 1 tsp Yellow mustard (dijon mustard)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 3 stalks Green onion (chopped)

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Instructions

1. Soak cashews in warm water for at least 2 hours.
   Option: to speed up the process, cover cashews in boiling water and let them sit for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 230C (450F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Bake the eggplants
   Halve the eggplants lengthwise. Place halves cut side down onto the baking sheet. Roast the eggplants until the interior is very tender throughout and the skin is collapsing, around 40 - 45 minutes for medium eggplants. Once done, set aside and let it cool slightly. Then, flip the eggplant over and scoop out the flesh. Discard the skin. Transfer the eggplants in a strainer and let them drain while preparing the cashew mayo.
4. Prepare the cashew mayo
   Add drained cashews, salt and mustard to a narrow vessel and process with a vertical blender until smooth.
5. Transfer the eggplants to a cutting board and chop using a wooden or regular knife. The degree of chopping is up to you and will give you different textures.
6. Place the chopped eggplants, onions and cashew mayo to a bowl and stir to combine.
7. Serve with your favorite bread and lots of vegetables. Enjoy!
8. How to store
   Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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Nutrition

One serving contains 200 calories, 7 grams of protein, 8 grams of fat, and 30 grams of carbohydrates.

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