Pesto Eggplant Madeover {paleo, dairy, gluten, free}
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 2 large ripe eggplants
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1½ lbs grass-fed beef
  • 1 tbsp. Italian spices
  • 1 tsp ground onion
  • ⅛ tsp ground garlic
  • Pesto:
  • 4 full sprigs basil (more the merrier)
  • 1 cup soaked walnuts
  • 2 large lemons juice
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup frozen spinach
  • 1 tbsp dried Italian spices
  • ⅛ tsp ground garlic
  • or 4 steamed garlic cloves
  • 1½ tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
  • Free diet approved read notes
  • optional:
  • 4 drops oregano oil
  • or fresh handful fresh chopped oregano
Instructions
  1. Cut eggplant top to bottom length wise so you have two halves like a boat.
  2. Score the flesh into cubes without going through to skin and scoop out.
  3. Put cubes in a food processor or chop finer so it will cook evenly with meat. Set aside.
  4. Brush the eggplant boats with coconut oil and a dash of salt.
  5. Bake boats on cookie sheet for 20 min. in a 350 oven.
  6. In a large frying pan on low-medium cook meat,eggplant and mix in all spices.
  7. Cook the blend slightly under done, drain juice from mixture and set aside.
  8. To make pesto add all ingredients in food processor or strong blender until creamy.
  9. Assemble your boat: Mix ¼ cup pesto or tad more in meat and eggplant mixture.
  10. Fill boats with meat mixture and top with pesto.
  11. Bake in 350 oven for 15 minutes and top with more pesto if desired.
Notes
If time is of the essence you can use cashews and just soak them up to an hour verses soaking the walnuts 4-6 hours. If dairy is not an issue you can add cheese but truthfully, it has so much flavor with the pesto. Chopping the eggplant fine is key to it cooking thoroughly. Also, scraping the extra eggplant from the boats will help it cook better. Careful not to scrape too hard and break skin. For Free-Diet approved pesto omit the spinach and use ¼ cup steamed kale. I use the greens for extra nutrition, color and as a thickener but you can just add few extra soaked nuts. Please use organic ingredients where you can.
Recipe by Spoonful of Health Delicious Gluten Free Recipes, Paleo and FreeDiet approved at https://spoonfulofhealth.com/pesto-eggplant-made-over-paleo-dairy-gluten-free/