Eggplant Tapanade

Eggplant, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, black olives and garlic… what's not to love? Another dish inspired by my cruise aboard the beautiful ms Westerdam! My mom and I enjoyed a sumptuous eggplant tampanade at the Italian restaurant onboard called Caneletto. There were't many things I could eat on that menu but this dish was one of them and it was fantastico!

Tapanades are traditionally made from olives and capers… can we say, too much sodium?!  Well, this version is perfect, especially since I found these amazing olives from Sunfood that we've been enjoying in moderation lately. They are raw, loaded with flavor and much lower in sodium than any other olives I've ever had. Yummers!

Olive-based tapenades with anchovies (MORE sodium!) and/or vinegar are prevalent in Italian cuisine and are documented in ancient Roman cookbooks dating back thousands of years, even before the appearance of the French word tapenade, or the French language itself.

This recipe is a little time-consuming but very easy to make. I hope you'll try it. Make it ahead of time  for a special dinner (it stores well in the fridge). Your guests will thank you!

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant, diced (about 4 cups)
• 2 cups diced mushrooms
• 2 roasted red peppers, skinned, seeds removed and diced
• 1 cup finely chopped black olives
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Water sauté the eggplant and mushrooms until they are tender and until the mushrooms have sweated off most of their water. The veggies will cook down to less than half of their raw size! 
2. Add the garlic and olives and sauté on low another 10 minutes or so to incorporate all the flavors.
3. Add the chopped roasted red peppers and stir to combine.
4. Place everything into a food processor and pulse just a few times to create a chunky tapanade.
5. Serve with crackers or sliced whole grain bread, or anything else you like!

Makes about 4 cups. Enjoy!

Healthy trails,