I’ve always loved different flavor and texture combinations in my meals. Sweet and savory, salty and spicy, crunchy and creamy. They’re all so good! So naturally when The Kid found pomegranates at last on a trip to Trader Joe’s, I immediately had plans for it. One of the great Middle Eastern flavor combinations is tahini, pomegranate and eggplant.
You’ve got the crunchy and sweet pom seeds to go with the savory and a little spicy tahini dressing. It’s perfect. The eggplant? It’s nice, but I consider it mainly just a way to get the poms and dressing into your mouth, LOL. If you haven’t made your own tahini dressing before, you need to try this. It’s so easy to throw together and you’ll never have to buy it again.
You can double the batch below and use it as a dip, on salads, or however you’d like. I use the leftover tahini for things like hummus as well.
Grilled Eggplant with Pomegranate and Tahini Dressing 
- 1 medium eggplant (~350-400g)
- 1/4 cup (56g) tahini
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 water
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 cup (200g) pomegranate seeds
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Ground sumac for garnish, optional
Preheat your grill or the broiler on your oven. Slice the eggplant into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. If using your oven, line a cookie sheet with foil and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Grill or broil the eggplant slices until they brown on the edges. Flip them halfway through so both sides get cooked. Remove and cool slightly.
Mix the tahini, lemon juice, water, garlic powder, and cumin in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Lay the eggplant slices on a plate, drizzle with the dressing, and top with the pomegranate seeds. I like the flavor of ground sumac on top so I sprinkled some on for garnish. It’s not a common spice so don’t worry if you don’t have any. It’s still good without it.
Makes 4 servings at approximately 160 calories each – 5g protein, 17g carbs, and 9g fat.
I used the leftovers the second night to throw together a Middle Eastern burrito. I filled a whole grain wrap with the eggplant, grilled seitan strips, pom seeds, and black lentils. I wrapped it all up and drizzled the tahini dressing on top. You can also use the leftovers on a salad to mix things up as well.
I’m so excited for pom season! We waited months for it to come back around.
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