baked eggplant-berenjena asada… 

You know that dish Latin parents try to get you to eat, where they hide all the veggies in it? The one we don’t appreciate until we’re old enough to understand its deliciousness and complexity.  Yes, baked eggplant!! I put my own twist on my baked eggplant- berenjena asada recipe using techniques and flavors that I picked up when I visited the UAE. In the UAE they have a similar dish called shakshuka, where they bake eggs into a tomato sauce. To keep it vegan, and incorporate parts of my mom’s berenjena asada recipe, I substituted the eggs for eggplant and used both Latin and Middle Eastern spices.

Eggplant is packed full of nutrients and vitamins that are used to help manage heart, cholesterol, and stomach conditions. It is also a good source of fiber, aids in digestion, and helps promote weight loss.  I incorporated eggplant into our regular diet a couple of years ago, and the changes we’ve witnessed have been significant for us. It’s something that I would recommend to incorporate into your weekly diet, especially if your family has a history of high blood pressure or cholesterol. And let’s be honest, that’s most Latinos, but with a good diet these are things that we can learn to manage while not depriving ourselves of delicious and satisfying food. So let’s dive right into my healthy but delicious baked eggplant- berenjena asada recipe!

How to make eggplant tasty:

Eggplant is one of those ingredients that tends to be bitter. Therefore in a Dominican kitchen,  most people add some sugar to balance out the flavor.  However, as you may have guessed, sugar is not an ingredient I prefer to cook with. Instead, in my recipe, I used natural maple syrup to offset the bitterness. I have also tried this recipe with agave and honey, and both work great as well. So feel free to use your favorite natural sweetener and make it your own.  

Another boost in the flavor profile is added when the eggplant is placed into the oven. You can very easily finish this recipe stovetop. However, I find that the light char and smokey flavor you get from finishing it off in the oven is what elevates this dish completely. 

Lastly incorporating fresh tomatoes into the dish along with the canned tomatoes helps reduce the acidity levels. Canned tomatoes usually have a higher level of acidity compared to fresh tomatoes. By using both you reduce that tanginess, which many people try to fix with sugar. As I mentioned before, I always try to avoid using sugar where possible to keep my dishes healthier.