Spice-Rubbed Eggplant with Farro and Cranberries: it’s what’s for dinner!
I’m writing this post from Austin! For a change, right? I’ve been to 10 cities in the past month for my cookbook tour, and it has been wonderful meeting so many of you in person! It doesn’t get old seeing your photos of my Boozy Pomegranate Cake (one of my faves, and that’s not the whiskey talking) or hearing stories how my recipes filled your Rosh Hashanah table. Cue lots of warm and fuzzy feelings! But I’m happy to be home. For a few weeks at least!
So now I have some time to cook again! I missed it, y’all. Between touring for the cookbook and working on ModernTribe, I’ve hardly turned on my oven! And it’s fun to play with someone else’s recipe, like these stuffed eggplants from the book Great Meals with Greens and Grains by Megan Wolf. While I’ve been living on lox and black + pink cookies, this book is chock full of healthy recipes like Baked Eggs with Feta and Kale or Freekeh Tabbouleh (!!)
With Sukkot coming, I thought these Spice-Rubbed Eggplant with Farro and Cranberries were perfect! Stuffed foods are traditional for the harvest holiday for a plentiful harvest year. Can’t hurt! These are vegan, but you wouldn’t even know it.
I switched out the quinoa in the original recipe for farro because that’s what I had on hand. You do you. The spice rub is on point. 
And you could even eat the filling all on its own. I wouldn’t judge you!!
The perfect main or side, warm or room temp, sharing or all for yourself!!
Spice-Rubbed Eggplant with Farro and Cranberries
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants halved, tops left intact
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cups cooked farro or quinoa
- 1/3 cup unsweetened dried cranberries or cherries
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley divided
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallion white and green parts, divided
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)
- To make the eggplant: Place the eggplant halves cut-side up on a nonstick baking sheet. With a sharp knife, score the eggplant diagonally every 1/2 inch, then run the knife down the center of the eggplant. Be sure to only score the flesh of the eggplant; do not pierce through the skin.
- To make the rub: In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the spice rub. Massage the spice mixture evenly across each of the eggplant halves, being sure to rub it into the flesh. Turn the eggplants cut-side down and roast for 45-50 minutes, or until very soft and cooked through.
- Mix the farro with cherries and set aside.
- When the eggplant is cooked, add half of the parsley and half of the scallions to the quinoa, stir to combine and season to taste with salt. Top each eggplant half with equal amounts of the quinoa mixture, then top with remaining parsley and scallion, drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice and serve immediately.
