After roasting all the vegetables rolling around your fridge, or in my case standing still because I usually buy too much, and making sauces and soups, I use some of them for dips.
A very common one is this roasted eggplant and chickpea mix. It can either be called an eggplant hummus or chickpea baba ganoush, which is basically roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic and lemon juice. Your pick.
It’s good either way, or in my personal taste buds way, it’s amazing, my favorite thing to make with chickpeas and eggplants, hands down.
In my kitchen, a red pepper, no matter how small is always too much. Somehow I only use a third of it, and the rest just lies there for days. And you can make it without the eggplant too. It’s really good spread in a cold meat sandwich.
If you regularly make pie dough, or doughs in general, you will probably have odds and ends in your fridge, plastic bags with doughs that, unless you took the time to label them, will have no idea what they are. You can guess, taste, but let’s face it, if you have to do that they’ve probably been there a while.
My two solutions to this are alfajores (sandwich cookies) and crackers.
The first (alfajores), I make with any and every sweet dough, whether it’s flavored with vanilla, chocolate, lemon or whatever. Roll the dough, cut into rounds, bake and fill. The most simple and fastest filling for me is dulce de leche, because it’s our everyday jam and widely available, but any jam or spread that you like is good.
Or that little bit of frosting that is another leftover and is still in the fridge too.
You can sprinkle the tops of the rounds with chopped nuts, coconut or sprinkles or coat the sides with them after the sandwich is made.
With savory doughs I make crackers and keep them in a tin to eat with all the dips and spreads, or with soup.
Just roll the dough, cut it with whatever size of cookie cutter you have, brush them with water and sprinkle them with sesame or poppy seeds or flavored salts, or leave them plain and bake them until crisp. You can also weigh them down with another cookie sheet and they will be flat, they won’t rise. Your choice.
EGGPLANT HUMMUS + WHOLE WHEAT DOUGH CRACKERS
Ingredients
For the eggplant hummus:
1 recipe hummus
1 cup roasted eggplant pulp (about 1 medium)
For the whole wheat dough crackers:
Leftover whole wheat dough from this galette
Sesame seeds
Directions
For the eggplant hummus:
Cut eggplant in half, score in criss cross pattern, drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper and roast in a 180ºC / 350ºF oven for about 45 minutes, until the pulp is soft. Let cool.
Follow recipe for hummus adding the roasted eggplant to the processor with the rest of
the ingredients.
the ingredients.
Keep refrigerated in a covered container.
For the whole wheat dough crackers:
Preheat oven to 180ºC / 350ºF.
On a lightly floured counter, roll dough, cut with 1.5 inch round cookie cutter and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Brush tops with cold water and sprinkle with sesame seeds, both white and black.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and dry. Let cool on wire rack.
Store covered in a metal container.
Cocoa and Lavender says
April 6, 2013 at 21:23Eggplant is soooo underutilized in my opinion. This sounds fantastic – and healthy, too. The crackers are amazing looking,,, ~ David
Jess says
March 28, 2013 at 17:08Hello! I stumbled upon your blog as I was exploring some of the blogs my own blog's readers follow, and I just loved this post. I'm such a big fan of hummus in general, and this recipe – along with the crackers – looks fantastic I think my readers would really love it, too! I'd like to invite you to participate in my blog's link-up party to celebrate the end of National Nutrition Month – feel free to check it out and share one of the delicious, healthy recipes you've been enjoying this past month! http://bit.ly/YCpeHq
kale says
March 28, 2013 at 04:21that is too funny, because I love red pepper but I ALWAYS have some left over too! super smart cleaning out the fridge tips! I hate wasting food.
Laura Dembowski says
March 28, 2013 at 01:40Love the idea of eggplant hummus. I'm not typically a hummus fan but the addition of eggplant sounds great! Such a good idea to use up leftover doughs too!
Liz : strayed from the table says
March 28, 2013 at 00:24I love cleaning out the fridge, like you most of the things end up in soup or sauces. I never think to make dip with the leftovers. I do like the combination of eggplant, chickpeas, tahini and lemon.
Kate@Diethood says
March 27, 2013 at 18:58YUMMO!! I love this… homemade crackers, homemade hummus…it just doesn't get better!
Carol | a cup of mascarpone says
March 27, 2013 at 17:24The eggplant hummus is driving me crazy…love it, Paula! I MUST make this – and soon!!!
thelittleloaf says
March 27, 2013 at 13:36I love the idea of adding aubergine to hummus – two delicious dips combined!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
March 27, 2013 at 06:16Paula,
I love this "cleaning the fridge" series b/c it's so practical. Now that we are cooking so often, I have so much food and leftover stuff in the fridge and I hate wasting food. . . I love these whole wheat dough crackers. . and eggplant hummus?! How have I never tried this?! OMG, I need to make this this week! LOVE!
Savory Simple says
March 27, 2013 at 04:59I always have too many leftover veggies. Great way to use them up!
yummychunklet says
March 27, 2013 at 00:46What great little crackers!
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says
March 26, 2013 at 20:47Eggplant and chickpea are two of my favorite ingredients. And your whole wheat crackers look so delicious! This would be such a perfect midday snack!
Guru Uru says
March 26, 2013 at 19:21I wish I had your fridge to clean my friend, this is brilliant 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Deb says
March 26, 2013 at 18:43You have the best leftovers ever! The crackers look ready for cocktail hour! Great ideas with fantastic results!
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says
March 26, 2013 at 16:14Now that's a snack! I've made hummus and I've made baba ganoush, but never combined the two. Looks fabulous.
Caroline - All That I'm Eating says
March 26, 2013 at 16:10What a great thing to make from clearing out the fridge. I like how it's a baba ganoush and a hummus of sorts.
Jeannie Tay says
March 26, 2013 at 15:32Morsels of deliciousness! Love the look of those crackers~ bet it taste good with that hummus!