Ingredients

2 medium eggplant

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 cloves garlic, roasted or grated

¼ cup tahini

¼ cup canola oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Pickled red onions, paprika, and extra canola oil for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Wash eggplant then slice off the tops (be careful, they can be prickly!) and then slice each one in half.
Brush the eggplant with the 2 tablespoons of canola oil on all sides.
Place the eggplant cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet, then poke holes on the top side.
Transfer the eggplant into the preheated oven, and bake for 30 minutes, until eggplant are wrinkled looking and the side facing the pan is nicely browned.
While the eggplant roasts, prepare the rest of your ingredients: tahini, canola oil, lemon juice, spices, salt, and pepper.
Let the eggplant sit for 10 minutes of so, until cool enough to touch.
Scoop the roasted flesh out, and transfer to a thin tea towel.
Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the eggplant flesh. You’ll be surprised how much there is! In the end you should get around 1 cup of roasted eggplant, with the excess moisture removed.
Place the drained eggplant into a mixing bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Use an immersion blender to mix until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl, and top with pickled onion (optional, but pretty!), a few more pinches of paprika, and extra canola oil.
Serve with cut up veggies and crackers/pita/mini naan bread for dipping.
Enjoy!