Meatless Monday: Middle Eastern Meze

When I can’t settle on one thing to eat for dinner, I like to just combine a lot of smaller things – which makes a Middle Eastern meze (small plates with dips, salads, etc). kind of perfect for me.

You can mix and match any of these items and it tastes absolutely delicious no matter what. Personally, I’m partial to all of it.

Ingredients

1 cauliflower
Homemade hummus (or store-bought)
Pita bread, sliced for dipping

Quinoa Tabouli

1 cup cooked quinoa
1 tomato, chopped
1 cup parsley, diced finely
Juice of two lemons
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Tomato rice

1 cup rice, cooked in vegetable stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
Handful cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper

Baba ganoush

1 large eggplant
1/4 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic
4 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
Dash liquid smoke

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Peel and slice eggplant. Chop cauliflower. Cover both with a thin layer of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven until lightly browned (about 35 minutes).

Leave cauliflower on low heat to keep it warm.

To make baba ganoush, combine cooked eggplant in food processor with tahini, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and liquid smoke.

To make quinoa tabouli, combine cooked quinoa with parsley, tomato, lemon juice, onion, salt and pepper. Set aside.

To make tomato rice, add tomato paste, cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper to cooked rice.

Serve tabouli, rice, baba ganoush and hummus with the roasted cauliflower and pita bread. Enjoy!

-Katharine Watts, associate web editor