Every now and then I find myself in a stalemate with a veggie (this week it was an eggplant). We pause, we lock eyes… we just kind of stare at each other. I grumble and look quizzically at it as if it’s going to speak to me. It’s as if I am Michelangelo and this vegetable is my marble. Maybe it will tell me what it wants to be. Nope. It’s not talking. We’ve got ourselves a strong and silent type.  At this point I get all ponderous and morose over why I decided to purchase an eggplant in the first place. I consider letting it live out its final days on the counter top right next to my sad little banana graveyard, but just don’t feel right about it. Plus, let’s be honest…. I’m hungry. Life is hard.

In a flash of inspiration I thought “HUMMUS!!!” I search my fridge with a wild abandon that is usually reserved for school children on Easter. Ah-HA! Tahini! I found you. I can’t believe my luck. I actually have tahini in my fridge. Is there a number that I can call just to alert the Life Police that I’m seriously nailing it? I get my eggplant in the oven and start to roast it. I slice some lemons. I peel some garlic. I prep some olive oil. Super-dramatic-overly-celebratory-hummus-shindig… party of one! Proud of myself, I open up my tahini only to find that it has a fuzzy green film sitting pretty on the top. The wind goes out of my sails. Can I get that number for the Life Police again? I need to retract my previous statement.

Like any girl that is good and hungry, I am not about to let some  highfalutin tahini in a green sweater get me down. Nope. It’s on. So… basil. Let’s make something herbaceous and then spread it all over a piece of bread and make a sexy sandwich. Yesssss. We could alternatively dip anything into this spread situation (did someone say carrots?), or in a pinch it could be eaten off of a spoon. I am a girl who likes options.

Once your eggplant is done roasting, things are easy. You scoop out its flesh and put it into the food processor with your other ingredients. It all comes together in this pretty, flavorful and super creamy spread. Take that, tahini!

I enjoyed mine on a piece of toasted gluten-free bread with sliced tomatoes, red onions and a bit of a balsamic glaze. Classy.

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