Quinoa eggplant caviar

Makes 4 cups

What a wonderful idea to mix roasted eggplant with the rock star of grains, quinoa! When the creamy, sweet eggplant is pureed with a few zesty ingredients and stirred into the nutty grain, the result, Quinoa Caviar, is as surprising as it is delicious and nutritious. This caviar is uniquely different and delicious. When cooked, quinoa really does resemble fish eggs, so you may get some puzzled stares or comments from your guests. As a spread, it’s an easy way to get some of this super-nutritious quinoa into your diet.

ingredients

INGREDIENTS
1 eggplant
2 onions, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice

directions

1
1. Roast eggplant.
2
2. Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Stir in the quinoa and lightly toast for 1 minute. Stir in the water and salt to taste; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the pan, and gently simmer the quinoa for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Uncover the pan and fluff the quinoa with a fork; transfer to a bowl and let cool.
3
3. Puree the eggplant with the cilantro, parsley, soy sauce, and lemon juice in a food processor. Stir this mixture into the quinoa. Adjust seasoning, adding soy sauce, pepper, or lemon juice to taste. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and parsley, if desired.

Source: Joana