Eggplant stuffed with chickpeas and couscous with tahini sauce (RECIPE)

Serves 2 – 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized Italian Eggplants. sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 400g can of organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup couscous
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 2 tbsp coconut oil divided
• 1 small bunch of parsley, minced

For the Tahini Sauce

• 1/4 cup organic tahini
• 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, mined
• 1/4 cup water
• Dash of salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients for the tahini sauce together in a blender or with an immersion blender.  Process until smooth. Set aside.
3. Once eggplant is sliced in half lengthwise, use a small spoon to scoop out the center (leaving a 1/4 inch wide shell.) Save the scooped out eggplant and quickly dice it up.
4. Drizzle about 1 TBS of the oil onto the eggplant and place cut side down on a prepared baking sheet. Cook in the oven for about 15-25 minutes (or until eggplant is evenly cooked and slightly browned on the bottom.) Check often to make sure eggplant doesn’t burn.
5. Cook couscous
6. While couscous cooks heat the remaining oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, diced eggplant  and chickpeas. Turn heat to low and cook string often (for about 5 more minutes). Add cooked couscous to the pan and mix well to combine. Season everything with a little salt and pepper.
7. Scoop a healthy portion of the couscous mixture into each eggplant. Drizzle with a little tahini sauce and garnish with a few tablespoons of minced parsley.

Use this recipe as a guide. Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary