The fall has arrived.

We anticipate all our favorite holidays and festivals: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Even though in many parts of Europe and North America the weather becomes less and less cozy and welcoming, we are happy to finally indulge in our favorite autumn treats and activities while starting to get ready for the upcoming gift-giving agenda.

So, one of the best things about this season is that we are ready to eat more! We especially  like warm foods and drinks now since it is getting colder and colder outside? What is the autumn all about for you personally? Is it warm apple pie or a cup of a  hot mulled wine?

Here are some meal ideas we should look forward to!

Eggplant

Eggplant is one of the most versatile ingredient, however it is neglected often. You can cook it in many different ways. At the very least, you can wash it, slice it and fry on both sides in a bit of oil. And viola! You have a great and tasty appetizer! Too easy to put it as a proper recipe, but honestly this is my favorite kind of autumn snack. Add some mayo with garlic if you like!

However, we can create a little bit more complicated dish.

Eggplant Puree (=Hummus). For that you will need:

• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 garlic clove
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup chickpeas (drained)
• 1 tbsp. tahini
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tbsp. red chili peppers
• parsley (to your taste)
• 1 Tbsp. mint (or skip it if you dislike)
• Salt/pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 180 C or 350 F. Take an aluminum foil plate or packet containing the garlic cloves sprinkled in olive oil. Place it and the eggplant on a baking sheet.
2. Bake them together. Pay attention to the fact that the eggplant needs an hour, while the garlic – only 45 minutes. Turn the eggplant over to cook it evenly.
3. In a bowl, slit the eggplant and let it drain as it cools. Peel the skin off and discard it along with the drained liquid. Skin the garlic cloves as well.
4. In a food processor, add the garlic, eggplant, tahini, chickpeas, yogurt, red chili flakes, lemon juice, mint, parsley, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Pour the puree into a container and let it cool in the refrigerator for several hours.
5. Serve with pita or vegetables.

And one more idea is to slit them or slice them lengthwise. The pieces should be thick enough to hold the form after being cooked. After baking/frying them, let them cool down just a bit and put some chickpeas hummus on top of it. You can add some cream, yogurt or anything you think suits this meal (meat, chili or goat cheese).

It is delicious 🙂