Eggplant with Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream for World Diabetes Day

vegan yogurt sauce, cashew cream sauce, garlic cashew cream, eggplant pomegranate, eggplant cashew sauce, diabetic vegan reicpes, low sugar vegan recipes, vegetarian diabetic recipes, gluten free diabetic recipes, middle eastern recipes, eggplant recipes

When I decided to throw a Clean Eating Cocktail Party, one immediate goal I had was to include all kinds of healthy food bloggers. We bloggers tend to close ourselves into niche communities like gluten free, vegan, paleo, etc., but I believe that us food-lovers can call learn from each other, even if we can’t or don’t all eat the same ingredients. Besides, I’d rather throw a party where there is something for everyone to eat! And, perhaps, something for everyone to learn.

One blogger-turned-friend that I’ve learned a lot from over the past few years is Carolyn of All Day I Dream About Food. I always admire Carolyon’s recipes, admittedly because they often cater to my sweet tooth. Of course, there are many sweet geniuses out there, but what sets Carolyn apart from the pack is her low-carb, mostly gluten-free, natural ingredient set. Carolyn is a diabetic, and her creative use of nut flours, healthy fats, and natural sugar alternatives reflect that. Of course, Carolyn’s blog is also packed with easy, savory recipes, full of lean meats, colorful vegetables and exotic spices which quickly dispel any notions that diabetic meals are either tasteless or difficult to prepare.

In honor of Carolyn’s friendship and all she has taught me, I am proud to recognize World Diabetes Day today, November 14th, 2012. And even more importantly, to be a part of Carolyn’s personal campaign, uniting food bloggers with delicious, diabetic-friendly recipes, and providing our readers with important information and fun giveaways.

Diabetes

Diabetes is more common than you might think, affecting more than 8% of Americans and 1 in 400 children and adolescents in the United States.* And although there are various risk factors, ranging from family history, ethnic background, weight, blood pressure, etc**, everyone with diabetes is dealing with the same inability to process insulin and is at risk for scary complications like nervous system damage, kidney disease, and blindness – among others.

*http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/
**http://diabetes.webmd.com/risk-factors-for-diabetes

As a food blogger and health enthusiast, I hope to make a difference by spreading the message that this is a real problem facing many people, and doing what I enjoy best: cooking. Today I’m sharing a very simple recipe that is naturally sugar-free and simple to make, yet will leave your tastebuds singing! I’m pairing velvety roasted eggplant with a smokey, savory cashew cream for a twist on a Middle Eastern favorite. Garlicky yogurt sauce is a traditional accompaniment, but I wanted to give this dish a vegan spin and pack in lots of healthy heart-protecting fats too. Not to mention, the flavor is phenomenal.

And do you remember I said giveaways? Of course you do!

To satisfy your sweet tooth, I am giving away a gift pack from the makers of Swerve, a zero-calorie, all-natural sweetener perfect for baking diabetic-friendly (or, just waistline-friendly!) goodies. Their granulated sweetener is great for cakes and cupcakes, while the confectioners style is perfect for whipping into creamy frosting. You’ll also get a whole bunch of fun kitchen items to add to your collection. The sweetness of Swerve comes from natural erythritol, which I have used plenty of times in my kitchen. Entry details are below, following the recipe.

And if you want to go big too, please stop by Carolyn’s blog to learn more about diabetes, and enter to win a pretty blue KitchenAid mixer!

PrintPrint SaveSave

Eggplant with Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Velvety roasted eggplant with a garlicky cashew cream sauce spiked with lemon and cumin.

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplant, sliced in half lengthwise
olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 head of garlic
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
pomegranate seeds
chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; mist with cooking spray. Using a paring knife, score a diagonal pattern on the cut side of the eggplant halves. Arrange the eggplants, cut side-up, on the baking sheet. Brush generously with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cut a second, small square of foil. Slice about 1/2" off the top of the garlic head, exposing the tops of the cloves. Place the garlic, cut side-up, on the foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap tightly and place on the baking sheet with the eggplant. Roast for 45-50 minutes, until eggplant is lightly browned and tender. Remove and let cool.

In a high speed blender combine cashews and water and process until smooth. Unwrap the garlic and squeeze the cloves out, adding them to the blender. Add lemon juice and cumin and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt.

Spoon some of the sauce over each eggplant and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and cilantro. Serve at room temperature.

Cara Lyons, www.carascravings.com

To enter the giveaway for a Swerve gift pack, simply leave a comment telling me your favorite low-sugar, simple recipe. For additional entries, do any of the following, and come back leaving a separate comment telling me you did so:

  • Pin this recipe to Pinterest
  • Tweet about this recipe, mentioning #worlddiabetes and @carascravings (For example: @carascravings is celebrating #worlddiabetes with a  yummy #glutenfree and #vegan eggplant recipe & #giveaway! http://bitly.com/YdniBx)
  • Visit Carolyon’s World Diabetes Day post and tell me something that you learned

No purchase necessary. Giveaway will close on Sunday, November 18th at 11:59pm EST, at which point a winner will be chosen at random. Winner will be contacted by email and have three days to respond, at which point an alternate winner will be chosen.

  Pin It

27 Responses to “Eggplant with Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream for World Diabetes Day”

  1. Pingback: Raising Awareness for Diabetes | All Day I Dream About Food

  2. 2

    Joanne — November 14, 2012 @ 1:25 pm Reply

    LOVE the message behind this post!! And that cashew cream sauce…really, what could be better??

  3. 3

    janet @ the taste space — November 14, 2012 @ 1:33 pm Reply

    How pertinent this post is now that I am on a sweetener-free challenge.. except I am shunning natural sweeteners, too, like stevia and even fruit. My favourite snack has been carrots and hummus, how boring, I know, but true. 🙂

  4. 4

    DaniLiff — November 14, 2012 @ 1:35 pm Reply

    I just made an apple pie and forgot to add any sugar to the filling. The crust had minimal so I guess it’s a low sugar recipe now!

  5. 5

    janet @ the taste space — November 14, 2012 @ 1:36 pm Reply

    I’ve never really thought about diabetic recipes, but that link is pretty good. Looks like I am already mostly there with sugar-free whole food eats. 🙂

  6. 6

    Marcie — November 14, 2012 @ 3:34 pm Reply

    I would love to try to cut back on sugar for my health, these recipes are great

  7. 8

    Marcie — November 14, 2012 @ 3:38 pm Reply

    I learned that diabetes is a rapidly spreading disease that can be prevented

  8. 9

    Jordan D — November 14, 2012 @ 11:50 pm Reply

    I’m not familiar with diabetic recipes, but I do enjoy sugar-free baking. My favorite Christmas cookie recipe is actually naturally sweetened coconut-date-walnut-honey balls…the name says it all. Delicious. I’d love to try some bake-able recipes using Swerve, though!

  9. 10

    Jordan D — November 14, 2012 @ 11:51 pm Reply

  10. 11

    diabeticFoodie — November 15, 2012 @ 7:29 am Reply

    I am amazed you got such a creamy looking sauce without using any dairy whatsoever. Wow! I must try this recipe.

  11. 12

    Will — November 15, 2012 @ 9:43 am Reply

    Great recipe, I think that will be served at this year’s thanksgiving cocktail hour!

  12. 13

    Catherine H. — November 15, 2012 @ 10:38 am Reply

    Favorite SIMPLE thing to make–that’s tough. Burgers? I have many *complicated* things I love to make. Anything Carolyn creates.

  13. 14

    Catherine H. — November 15, 2012 @ 10:39 am Reply

  14. 15

    Catherine H. — November 15, 2012 @ 10:41 am Reply

    I visited! I didn’t know quite so many people are affected by diabetes, although my sister is a type I–79 million with pre-diabetes?!

  15. 16

    Shannon — November 15, 2012 @ 11:33 am Reply

    such a great message, and a great recipe 🙂

  16. 17

    grace — November 15, 2012 @ 3:12 pm Reply

    your presentation with the lovely arils and verdant herbs is making me think of christmas. 🙂
    i’m sorry to say it, but i like sugar in just about everything…

  17. 18

    Kate — November 15, 2012 @ 10:32 pm Reply

    Such a gorgeous picture. It reminds me of the cover of Plenty – which is another beautiful dish. I think it’s the pomegranate seeds that shine like jewels.

  18. 19

    dana — November 16, 2012 @ 12:01 am Reply

    mmm after moving back from living in israel, i am a HUGE fan of roasted eggplant with tahina sauce as my quick low-sugar recipe. I have to say that this dish looks incredible though–and I happen to have all the ingredients in my fridge. sounds like a perfect shabbat side dish!

  19. 20

    Katie — November 16, 2012 @ 5:29 pm Reply

    My favorite low-sugar, simple recipe would have to be a simple poached egg with avocado on an english muffin, always hits the spot for me no matter what time of day it is!

  20. 21

    Noel — November 18, 2012 @ 1:43 pm Reply

    My fave part of your recipe is that you can eat it and still look great for the holidays, can’t wait to try it!

  21. 22

    Stefanie — November 19, 2012 @ 8:09 pm Reply

    Pinned on Pintrest : )

  22. 23

    Jeannie T2 — February 13, 2014 @ 10:50 pm Reply

    I have had diabetes for almost 40 years, so taking care of my skin and feet is important. I have been using Made from Earth Aloe Jojoba Therapy and it works wonders overnight! I have tried other products, but none as good as the Made from Earth Aloe. Cracks on my heels can quickly develop into open wounds, but not when I use this cream. The cracks quickly close and disappear within a few days. It has saved me from many trips to the wound care doctors. Wish I could take a bath in it!

  23. 24

    Heather — October 15, 2014 @ 3:44 pm Reply

    Frozen banana “soft-serve” made in the food processor. We’ll add some cinnamon or maybe a pinch of cardamom + coconut.

  24. 25

    Olga — July 26, 2016 @ 2:55 pm Reply

    The original recept was tooken from the book by Yotam Ottolenghi “Plenty”. Its not your idea

    • 25.1

      Cara — July 26, 2016 @ 4:26 pm

      Hmm. I don’t own that book. I just love to make creamy sauces out of cashews. Perhaps great minds think alike.

  25. Pingback: Top 3 Must-Have Dairy-Free Ingredients + 21 Recipes Using Them

Leave a Reply to Stefanie