We’re going back through the list of raw food recipes that you wanted and raw Baba Ganoush was right at top…
The reason we’ve been hesitating to give you a raw recipe for Baba Ganoush is because we didn’t know what to do with the eggplant to make it soft.
Annmarie did a little research and now we have the secret.
Take a look and enjoy…
Your question of the day: What other things can we do with this raw eggplant?
Click here, scroll down to the bottom of the page and leave your comments now!
Here’s the raw food recipe for Baba Ganoush:
Raw Baba Ganoush
1 Large Eggplant
3 Tablespoons Tahini
Juice of 1 Large Lemon
2 Cloves Garlic
2 Chopped Scallions
1 Tablespoon Chopped Parsley
1-2 Teaspoons of Olive Oil
Sea salt to taste
Peel and slice the eggplant into medallions and freeze overnight. In the morning, take the eggplant out and let it defrost. Once it’s defrosted, all all ingredients into your food processor or Vitamix. Blend or process to desired consistency. Serve with raw veggies, crackers or whatever else you like!
Try chipotle pepper or mesquite powder to give it a little smoked flavor. 
The tip about the frozen raw eggplant came from
Live Awesome!
Kev
8:14 pm on July 21st, 2010
So you can eat Eggplant raw. I was wondering. I love baba ganoush. Thanks for the recipe.
8:14 pm on July 21st, 2010
I make eggplant bacon that is great for when you get hungry for tomato, bacon & lettuce.
Luv your show and thank you for turning down the volume to your introduction.
8:19 pm on July 21st, 2010
Well, there’s always the cold smoked dulse from MCSV, that might give it that smoky flavor. It’s worth a try!
8:21 pm on July 21st, 2010
mix tomato & cucumber cut up small in the baba ganush
8:25 pm on July 21st, 2010
Thanks for the tip about freezing the eggplant! This recipe looks yummy and nice and quick. Here is an eggplant recipe I love, but it requires more time because of the need for a dehydrator (one could use the sun as an energy saving dehydrator for the following recipe)
http://www.rawmazing.com/recipes/red-pepper-poppers/
8:30 pm on July 21st, 2010
I was going to recommend one drop of liquid smoke, but I really do not know what it is. One website suggested Lapsang Souchang tea–I may give that a try to get the smoky flavor.
I am eager to try this recipe for raw eggplant.
8:32 pm on July 21st, 2010
TK, How do you make “eggplant bacon”? That sounds interesting.
Today’s recipe looks very good. I’ll definitely give this one a try. Thanks, Annmarie for doing the research and coming up with this.
8:33 pm on July 21st, 2010
I just complimented my mothers super smooth baba ganoush (not raw). And then came upstairs to watch you guys.. and what else is on but this! Can’t wait to try, and make taste smokey! Unfortunately we just used up all the eggplant though..
8:39 pm on July 21st, 2010
“Eggplant bacon” recipe…
http://www.rawmazing.com/recipes/red-pepper-poppers/
8:39 pm on July 21st, 2010
doesn’t it kill the enzymes when u freeze it? and doesn’t that kind of ruin the point of eating raw LIVING food??? but i guess it would be better for you then cooking it.
8:49 pm on July 21st, 2010
There is a great and tasty recipe out there for eggplant/zucchini lasagna. Google it.
8:50 pm on July 21st, 2010
Raw that is…
9:02 pm on July 21st, 2010
I discovered that secret accidentally about 2 weeks ago while making a vanilla pudding from squash. I had extra squash, put it in my freezer for the next batch, and when I took it out and let it defrost- it was like it was steamed, except it wasn’t! Very cool
I love baba ganoush. Definitely will be trying this! Thanks guys
9:40 pm on July 21st, 2010
nice new screen….
9:45 pm on July 21st, 2010
You could salt and rinse the eggplant to help remove some of the bitterness plus this should help to make it more tender.
10:10 pm on July 21st, 2010
Looks great! However, I am curious if egg plant is OK to eat raw? I have heard there is certain toxic compounds in raw egg plant… But then again, don’t they say that about all night shades? Anyone know?
Thanks,
Christie
10:41 pm on July 21st, 2010
At http://www.bukisa.com/articles/27118_10-most-popular-food-plants-that-contain-poisontoxin#ixzz0uNY1HZxk
it says: On average, 20lbs of eggplant contains about the same amount of nicotine as a cigarette.
As far as it being poisonous http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2027615#ixzz0uNYRKXhC
says: Eggplant skin is not poisonous, though as the fruit ripens it takes on a bitter taste. Eggplants are part of the nightshade family, which has a false history of being poisonous, so myths about eggplants are abundant.
I do love eggplant…just won’t be eating any of the Tahini with it (allergic to sesame). Will substitute almond butter or just some chick peas instead.
10:43 pm on July 21st, 2010
By the way, the recipe RJ left for eggplant bacon sounds awesome! And the tip to do a salt rinse by Kathryn was equally awesome!
11:01 pm on July 21st, 2010
eggplant bacon is my favorite this is not my recipe sorry I forgot where I found it but it tases great the longer u dehydrate the crispier not the healthiest raw food but comared to reg bacon its extremely heathy
Ingredients
* 1 large eggplant
* ¾ cup olive oil
* ¾ teaspoon paprika
* ¼ teaspoon cayenne
* 2 tablespoons agave nectar (or raw honey)
* 4 tablespoons Ume Plum Vinegar
* Salt to taste (optional)
Preparation
Thinly slice your eggplant, lengthwise (think about how bacon strips look). I use an old cheese slicer and mine turns out great. You could probably accomplish this with a vegetable peeler too. Alternately, you could make ‘round’ bacon by slicing the other way.
Remaining ingredients make up the marinade. Mix up these to make the marinade. Marinate egglplant strips in the marinade for 2 hours.
Place on dehydrator sheets. Salt bacons (optional) and dehydrate for 9 hours. Turn bacon over and dehydrate another 9 hours. Around 110 degrees.
TIPS: I actually dehyrdated mine longer. You can judge for yourself if you want them even crisper. They will still have an “oily-ness” to them even after dehydrated. If you don’t want this, then you can put less oil in the marinade or “blot” your bacons after they come out of the dehydrator.
A variation on the bacon was that I dehydrated some grounded pine nut to make a pine nut spread and I spread some of the spread on to the bacon. Creates a unique taste to the bacon.
11:04 pm on July 21st, 2010
looks interesting, however i didn’t hear anything from you two about getting rid of the bitterness in raw eggplant. does freezing accomplish that? many thanks and looking forward.
11:28 pm on July 21st, 2010
How funny! I made eggplant yesterday. It is my husband’s “steak” now. I didn’t know what to do with it so I marinated half of it and dehydrated it. It turned out OK, a little bit to “leathery” I cooked the other half of it following a recipe from Renee Loux Underkoffler with a “Japanese miso sauce” which was actually quite yummy!!!! I think you guys would like her book which is called “the balanced plate” I consider it my “food bible” (raw and cooked gourmet vegan) Like another reader I also thought that eggplant is toxic when eaten raw. i will definitely try this recipe. THANKS!!
1:21 am on July 22nd, 2010
I cut raw eggplant into small pieces once peeled and add it to a summer vegie marinated salad. After about 12 hours the eggplant looks, tastes and feels like mushrooms. I make a summer salad in mass that I can keep in my frig for eating easily. I had no idea the eggplant would turn out like a mushroom. I have not had a mushroom in years, but this is how I remember them. I am not an eggplant person. I never liked it cooked and I did not like it raw. In this salad everyone thinks it is mushrooms. I don’t tell them anything. People just randomly comment on the mushrooms and I tell them. It is eggplant. It’s amazing.
1:24 am on July 22nd, 2010
Wow, this like answers an unasked question…whatever that is. Freezing & thawing is so natural, at least up north where harvest is followed by the first winter freeze, breaking down structure into a digestible state. It’s true anti-cooking, & retains integrity reflecting nutritional intactness, no? Is or is this not the case? I leave this one up to the college students
2:09 am on July 22nd, 2010
My favorite eggplant recipe is Ratatouille. There is a great RawForLife Ratatouille (as well as a million other great recipes!) on Gone Raw website – http://goneraw.com/recipe/rawforlife-ratatouille-0
I didn’t know about freezing eggplant, thanks for the info! Next time I make this recipe I’ll try it that way rather than marinating for 24 hours or more (or in addition to….)
2:16 am on July 22nd, 2010
Ineke,
You may have already tried them, but another great “steak” is sliced, marinated portabello mushrooms. I use an equal part olive oil and tamari, plus small amount of Agave for the marinate, just slice, cover with marinate and refrigerate. The longer you marinate, the better they get… VERY easy and mmmmm!
2:46 am on July 22nd, 2010
I love eggplants, I always have! I even like them raw! So I made a raw eggplant spread a while ago and I have been making it regularly ever since because it came out great! Check it out here: http://rawfoodhealthwithangi.blogspot.com/2010/06/raw-eggplant-spread.html
3:05 am on July 22nd, 2010
Never heard of raw eggplants being toxic. I’m Japanese and we eat raw eggplants all the time…if pickled eggplants are considered to be raw.. It’s a popular pickled vegetable during summer time in Japan.
To make pickled eggplant, just add some salt or soy sauce over chopped eggplant and massage them for a while. Leave them in the fridge for a couple of hours to overnight. When they are wilted they are ready to eat. Served chilled.
Some people add ginger, grind sesame seeds, mustard, honey, vinegar, chili pepper…you know anything you want to add to your pickles.
I recommend Japanese eggplants for this recipe though… They are softer and you can eat skin as well. With the skin on, they look more appealing to eyes too:)
7:57 am on July 22nd, 2010
Great idea. I love Baba Ganoush. When I prepare egg plant, I cut it then salt both sides with a quality sea salt then let it sit for thirty minutes or so (it will sweat), then rinse it well. This removes the bitterness from the eggplant. One doesn’t need to add any more salt either
. On the smokey flavor, any thouhts on Colgins Liquid Smoke. It appears to be all natural, make kind of like a smokey wood tea. Thanks and have a GREAT day!
8:07 am on July 22nd, 2010
Question:
I started getting a pain in my right kidney, a throbbing pain. I thought it might be connected to my UTI as I’m prone to them so I looked up kidney infection and sure enough, I had a lot of the symptoms described. I went to the naturopath and she told me my adrenals were taxed and it was affecting my kidneys due to stress.
What are some foods, herbs, exercises that will help nourish my adrenals and kidneys and stress levels?
Also, what foods, herbs, and exercises should I AVOID? (caffeine, alcohol, of course…)
I just started taking holy basil on regular basis and I think it is helping.
The naturopath also gave me some homeopathic supplements for my kidney pain, UTI, and stress.
She didn’t seem to know what foods, herbs, exercises I should be doing, which was kind of a let down.
8:25 am on July 22nd, 2010
Raw aubergine is really nice marinated with tamari, olive oil, lemon juice, onion or onion powder, cumin powder garlic 0or garlic powder, dates and chipotle chilli (seeds removed). Slice aubergine lengthwise thinly, mix remaining ingredients and marinate for 2 hours or overnight.Either eat them raw or lay out flat on a non-stick dehydrator tray and dehydrate until crispy. (part of James Russell’s pizza recipe) Yum
10:02 am on July 22nd, 2010
Cumin has a naturally smokey flavor and might work well with this eggplant recipe.
10:58 am on July 22nd, 2010
The caji/kahji (sp?) “Korean Eggplant” are thiner & longer than the “usual” “Black Beauty” etc varities. They grow on a bush and are prolific, but prone to “spider mites” around here.
Still, picking them straight off the bush & eating them raw while harvesting the rest of the crops is a non-bitter taste treat here.
An added surprise for us was, as our Korean pals later explained, “the fat-pull of the cajis” ~
According to what “Ajima” explained, the ring of congealed _fat_ at the toilet bowl’s water line (which remains after a full flush & must be cleaned away) is _dietary & bodily fats_ literally “pulled” into the digestive tract and expelled in stool!
How amazing is _that_!?!
So, for no bitterness, get just-picked caji and enjoy it on the spot ~ Then, don’t be surprised within the next 24 hours when you see “all that fat” lining your bowl – NOT your arteries!
As for the kidney issues:
Kidney Beans are said to be good for kidneys issues.
There’s a whole piece on foods appearing similar to the organs they benefit, (Online & Free) ~
Here’s a reputable (Woman’s Day magazine) link to the matter:
http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Health/Diet-Nutrition/Foods-That-Look-Like-Body-Parts-They-re-Good-For.html
RE: Babaganoush ~
In my pre-July 2006 transition to the raw organic vegan cruelty-free lifestyle (long & far may it prosper!), my babamagoush was easy-peasy:
On a rimmed cookie sheet, or big rectangular cake pan, place (1) large, or several caji-type eggplants, halved lengthwise, cut side down.
Around that, place some whole tomatoes & a whole/or halved (cut side down) onion & any assortment of peppers, from only bells to some of everything in the garden… And, some peeled whole garlic cloves…
Bake at 450 for up to 45mins ~ Until mushy and dark around the edges of the juices, but not dried out & burning ~
Puree all, add lemon, salt, freshly cracked black pepper and some olive oil ~ no tahini ~
A good cooked option for those on their way toward raw “-)
11:24 am on July 22nd, 2010
Here is a delicious raw eggplant lasagna recipe:
http://www.thevegetariansite.com/rawfoods.htm
12:11 pm on July 22nd, 2010
I would try adding Pimenton for a bit of smokiness..(smoked spanish paprika)
xxx suzi
4:35 pm on July 22nd, 2010
Thank you Ann marie and Kevin .How about raw eggplant and lemon and garlic ,parsley juiced.
9:16 am on July 23rd, 2010
(HAVEN’T READ ALL THE COMMENTS ABOVE). It was interesting that the “door opened” during your above video in which you discussed attending school for advanced training. Possibly a reflection of where/how your lives will advance. mm.
11:21 am on July 23rd, 2010
So how did it taste? Would be great if you guys would taste what you make on video. Thanks!!
1:46 pm on July 23rd, 2010
Thanks!! I’m so excited to try this…also, pickled eggplant sounds delicious too.
8:37 pm on July 26th, 2010
I did not know that you could freeze eggplant. I will have to give it a try along with this great recipe.
9:44 am on July 28th, 2010
I usually make baba ganush with marinated eggplant (2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons tamari, overnight) because it’s soft as well and I prefer its flavour.
http://frutosdelbosque.wordpress.com/2010/04/08/pate-de-berenjena/
I also prepare dehydrated eggplant chips, with a little bit of paprika and garlic powder on it, and use it to replace bread in a sandwich. Delicious!
http://frutosdelbosque.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/bocaditos-de-berenjena-rellenos-de-aguacate/
And here you can see eggplant ‘calamari’ rings (marinated 1 hour with juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt; covered with grounded flax seed; and dehydrated for about 3 hours): http://frutosdelbosque.wordpress.com/2010/06/24/aros-de-berenjena-a-la-romana/
1:35 pm on July 28th, 2010
That sounds like an interesting recipe. Thanks, Annemarie. You are very, very sweet.
Not sure what else one could do with raw eggplant other than avoid it like the plague….
2:15 pm on July 28th, 2010
Thanks everybody. What is eggplant good for?
1:43 pm on August 7th, 2010
Freezing to soften the egg-plant is genius! I found adding smokey paprika from the middle eastern market gave it the extra punch. Love you! Love your show! Hugs
-Val