One of my all time favorite restaurants in LA is Elephante in Santa Monica. Aside from the beachfront location and amazing decor, the food is also UNBELIEVABLE! They are most known for their Whipped Eggplant Dip so of course I had to recreate it at home for those of you who don’t live in LA.
This dip is perfect for an appetizer or serving with chicken or fish in a power bowl. The recipe makes A LOT so feel free to cut it in half. The key to making this dip as flavorful as the original at Elephante is to taste it along the way and don’t be shy with the seasonings!
Whipped Eggplant Dip
Ingredients
- 3 medium sized eggplants
- olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 lemons juiced
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1/3 cup feta cheese
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp paprika + more to taste
- 1/4 tsp cayenne + more to taste
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes + more to taste
- 2 tsp Kosher salt + more to taste
- 1 tsp Black pepper + more to taste
- Sumac optional
- Fresh parsley to serve
- Fresh veggies & pita bread to serve
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut eggplant long ways down the middle. Brush with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Bake for 30 minutes and leave out to cool for another 30 min. Once cooled, peel the skin off the eggplant as best you can. Then, add eggplants to a bowl and cover with water and the juice of one lemon and let it sit for 5 min. This should help the rest of the skins fall off!
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Drain the eggplant of excess water and cut into cubes. Add to a blender with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, yogurt, tahini, Parmesan, feta, almond milk and spices. Blend on high until smooth (about 30 seconds). Add more seasonings to taste.
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Dress with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh parsley and a dash of paprika or sumac. Serve with veggies and pita!
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