When life hands you eggplant...make Baba Ghanouj!

A friend came over for dinner recently before she left for a vacation,  and she unexpectedly brought over a huge bag of produce - she didn't want to throw it away but she didn't think it wouldn't last until she got back from her trip.  Among the goodies were asparagus, tofu, cilantro, fennel, and grilled eggplant.

I was almost finished making dinner (avocado rolls and tofu) when she arrived, but she insisted on making a fennel salad, which I had never tried before.  I can't remember exactly what she did - I think she just chopped the fennel, tossed it in some olive oil and sprinked on some freshly ground salt and pepper.  In any case, it was super delicious and I'll have to ask her exactly how she made it next time I see her.

I was originally going to make hummus but I wasn't sure how long this eggplant would last in the fridge so I decided to turn it into a dip which turned out to be absolutely delicious with my organic yellow baby carrots.  The meal turned out to be quite a clash of several cuisines but everything tasted so good we stuffed ourselves to the gills.

Eggplant Dip (baba ghanouj)

2 cups cooked eggplant (grilled and seasoned)
1 tbsp tahini
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until smooth.