The Dash Diet is gaining in popularity, since its goal is to lower blood pressure by eating healthy, yet delicious foods. Even the Mayo Clinic has a write up about it, so it must be a pretty good diet to incorporate for those looking to manage hypertension and lower the amount of sodium in your diet. There are many food choices available on the diet, but the important factor in any diet is that the food must taste good for anyone to stay on the diet long enough to see results.
With that in mind, spices are your best friend on any diet. Incorporate a wide variety of spices in any recipe, and you’re bound to stick with it longer. Here is a quick appetizer recipe that is geared for the Dash Diet that is big on nutrition and flavor.
Toasted Spice Eggplant Appetizer (for Dash Diet)
Ingredients
1 large eggplant that is roughly 1 ½ pounds
1 teaspoon mustard seed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon curry powder
Pinch of ground ginger
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon light molasses
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Directions
1 – Preheat oven to broiling. Raise your cooking rack about four to six inches away from the source of heat.
2 – Clean and trim the eggplant and slice it lengthwise into ¼ inch strips. Place all the slices on a broiler pan. Broil the slices for about five minutes, turning them half way through, until they are tender and a nice brown color. Pull them out, set aside, but keep them warm.
3 – Mix the first seven spices listed above in a small bowl until they are well blended. In a large frying pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat until it is hot but do not allow it to smoke. Add the spice mixture to the pan, and stir constantly for just 30 seconds. Immediately add the onion as you sauté the mixture for about four minutes or until the onions are translucent.
4 – Add the molasses, tomato sauce, minced garlic and rice wine vinegar to the pan. Mix thoroughly and cook for about four minutes. Stir the sauce lightly until it thickens. Add the salt and pepper and mix once again.
5 – On a serving plate, place the warm eggplant first and then pour the sauce over it. Use the chopped cilantro as a garnish.
Image: Thinkstock
