Oil Free Baba Ganoush Mediterranean Inspired Bowl – Vegan & Low FODMAP

Baba Ganoush Mediterranean Bowl.

If you love mediterranean food you will love this Baba Ganoush Mediterranean Inspired Bowl. The oil free baba ganoush is made from baked eggplant, raw tahini, lemon, parsley, and paprika. Topped on the baba ganoush bowl are olives, pickled radish, refreshing cucumber and tomato slices, raw spinach, wild rice, and corn potato quinoa cakes.

Oil Free & Low FODMAP Baba Ganoush

I aim to make my recipes as accommodating as possible no matter what your diet looks like. This is specifically for those who are are either on a temporary low FODMAP diet, or are oil free. Low FODMAP diets are required for those who are suffering from digestive issues such as IBS, leaky gut, or SIBO. The diet is temporary, however it does help to reset the gut and help you decipher which foods trigger you. This baba ganoush bowl has no high FODMAP ingredients making it 100% safe to consume without exacerbating symptoms.

Oil free diets are beneficial for those who have heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or health risks that require losing weight. Most oils are refined and have no nutritional benefits, however I don’t mind unrefined oils such as authentic extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil. Make sure to use the olive oil raw and cook/bake with avocado oil.

If your diet is NOT limited, feel free to add 2 cloves of roasted garlic for extra flavor. When ready to serve, you can also drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the bowl. The garlic and oil are NOT necessary, but don’t hurt either the above doesn’t apply to you.

Corn Potato Quinoa Cakes

The cherry on top of this recipe are the corn potato quinoa cakes – find the full recipe HERE. They are incredibly simple and require minimal ingredients including corn, a boiled or baked peeled potato, quinoa, nutritional yeast, parsley, dill, and paprika. Make sure to pulse the ingredients roughly, you don’t want to over blend. Use an ice cream scooper to arrange them on a tray, use your hands to shape them, and bake! I like to make a big batch and store them in the freezer for easy access.

Wild Rice Blend

Fun fact – wild rice isn’t a grain, it’s a type of grass! I opted for wild rice over a grain like brown rice due to the health benefits and lower carb content. Brown rice, for example, contains 52 grams of carbs in one cup. On the other hand wild rice only contains 35 grams of carbs in one cup. We also have the corn potato quinoa cakes which already provide a good amount of carbs. Cook the wild rice in water just like you’d cook normal rice. I like to make extra to keep on hand for the week for salads or bowls like this one.

Baba Ganoush Mediterranean Bowl Process:

I recommend making the cakes and baba ganoush in advance, but you can make it all on the spot. Consequently it’ll just take a bit of time and prep. The baba ganoush lasts a week in the fridge, and the cakes last a few months in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat them, pop them in the oven, air fryer, or microwave. Here’s the entire process start to finish:

1. Pickle your radish. It’s important you start with this step first. In order to pickle the radish you must leave them to marinate for at least 30 minutes, ideally an hour. Add the water, apple cider vinegar, and sugar in a jar, shake to combine, then add in the sliced radish. Keep in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble your bowl.
2. Make the corn potato quinoa cakes. Find the full recipe HERE. First you’ll combine the corn, boiled or baked peeled potatoes, cooked quinoa, nutritional yeast, parsley, dill, and sea salt in a food processor. Pulse for a few times keeping the mixture a bit rough. Use an ice cream scooper to create your cakes and use your hand to flatten and shape them. Arrange on a parchment lined baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes on each side at 375 degrees.
3. Make the baba ganoush. Crank the oven up to 450 degrees and chop your large eggplant in half. Spray your baking tray with avocado oil spray to avoid sticking. Place face down on your baking tray and bake for about 45 minutes. Once the eggplant is completely cooled, peel the skin off and add the insides to your food processor along with the raw tahini, paprika, fresh lemon juice, fresh parsley leaves, and sea salt. Optionally, top with some red chili flakes.
4. Assemble your bowl. Peel and chop your cucumber, slice your tomatoes, and cook your wild rice in water. Add to your bowl along with the raw spinach, pickled radish, corn potato quinoa cakes, and baba ganoush.

{Related Recipes: If you like this recipe you’ll love my KABOCHA SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE and my BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE.}