Spiced Eggplant & Mushrooms Sandwich

Spiced eggplant & mushrooms wrapped in a warm pita with hummus and veggies.  An easy meatless sandwich with Mediterranean flavor.

I really love Greek gyro sandwiches of lamb, veggies, and tzatziki wrapped in a warm, soft pita.  So, when I had leftover Spiced Eggplant and Mushrooms and fresh pitas I had to try making a sandwich.  This sandwich would have been great with tzatziki and tomatoes but I didn't have any on hand so I used some hummus, cucumbers, and green onions.   It was delicious, flavorful, and very filling and I can't wait to make it again.

Spiced Eggplant & Mushrooms Sandwich

Ingredients:

Spiced Eggplant and Mushrooms
Pita
Hummus
Cucumbers, optional
Green onions, optional
Tzatziki, optional
Tomatoes, optional

Lay out a sheet of aluminum foil long enough to wrap around the sandwich.

Place a warmed pita on top of the aluminum foil, with 1/2 of the pita hanging off the foil.

Spread pitta with hummus then top with the spiced eggplant and any of the optional ingredients you want.

Gently fold up the foil wrapping the end of the sandwich as you go.

Enjoy.

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Spiced Eggplant and Mushrooms

Eggplant, mushrooms, and rice cooked in Mediterranean spices and served over hummus.  A delicious, flavorful, and filling vegetarian one pot meal.

I was very impressed with my Spiced Lamb and hummus and wanted to make something similar.  The Mediterranean spices were just so flavorful I couldn't stop thinking about them.  I love the warm, earthy, spicy flavors of cinnamon, paprika, allspice and cumin (to name a few).  They brighten any dish.  I probably could have tried the same recipe with beef of chicken but I really wanted to make a vegetarian meal so here's what I came up with.  It was delicious and filling and very scoop-able.  I served the spiced eggplant and mushrooms on top of homemade Hummus with pita, cucumber slices, and broccoli (I love scooping hummus with cucumbers and broccoli).  It was a very satisfying meal I will make again.

Spiced Eggplant and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

2-4 Tbsp Mediterranean Spice Mix
1/4 tsp cayenne or hot chili powder (optional)
1 medium eggplant, cubed (about 4 cups)
1 onion, chopped
15 crimini mushrooms, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dried red cargo rice (or brown or wild)
2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Heat a little olive oil in a large stock pot.  To the oil add the eggplant, onion, and mushrooms.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of the Mediterranean spice mix.

Cook uncovered until eggplant has softened.  Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute or two then add the rice.

Stir and mix the rice well and cook for a few more minutes then add the broth.  Bring to a boil then lower heat to and simmer until rice is cooked (about 30 minutes).

Taste for seasoning and add more spice mix, salt, and pepper as needed.

To plate:  spread 2 Tbsp hummus in a circle in the center of a plate.  Top the hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.  Top this with spiced eggplant and mushrooms.

Serve with cucumber slices, broccoli, and pita.  Makes about 6 servings.

Enjoy.

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Hummus

A creamy dip or spread made from chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil.  Great with vegetables or pita.

Hummus makes a great snack or accompaniment to just about any meal.  It's smooth, creamy, and so tasty.  I'm disappointed I didn't even know about it until I was in college.  After I tried it for the first time, though, I was hooked.  This stuff is delicious.  It's also simple to make your own and add all kinds of different flavors.  I was making this hummus for a middle eastern type meal so I kept the flavors traditional.

Making hummus is one of the reasons I purchased my food processor.  I tried to make it in a blender once and failed miserably.  It was one of the blenders that tapers toward the bottom and things got stuck.  Maybe some people can make it in a blender but it didn't work for me and took me a while to try again.  This hummus is great with pita, vegetables, or as a main component of my Spiced Lamb and Hummus.  Store bought hummus is easy but once you try homemade there is no comparison.

Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chickpeas (or about 1 can)
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp lemon juice (1 lemon)
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt

In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the chopping blade, add the chickpeas and pulse until they are broken up and in small pieces.

Add the garlic, tahini, and lemon juice and pulse some more until well mixed (add salt to taste).

Then leave the processor on while adding up to 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Transfer to a seal-able container and refrigerate or serve right away.  I think it tastes better as it sits and the flavors have a chance to meld but sometimes I just can't wait.

To serve drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle on some smoked paprika, and serve with pita and/or vegetables.

Makes about 6 servings.  Enjoy.

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Spiced Lamb and Hummus

Ground lamb cooked with Mediterranean spices and served atop hummus.

I saw this recipe about a year ago on The View from the Great Island.  Her recipe used cubed lamb and a Mediterranean spice blend and made my mouth water (did I mention that the pictures are awesome).  I love Mediterranean style foods so I pinned the recipe and knew I would eventually try it.

Well, lamb is pretty expensive out here and my usual store has a small selection so this recipe stayed in the back of my mind until my husband found some ground lamb on sale and brought it home.  I initially didn't know what to do with the ground lamb (I was thinking lamb burgers or something) because I was waiting for some kind of lamb roast to cube like the original recipe.  Finally, it just clicked that I could use ground lamb instead. I'm so glad I didn't wait for a lamb roast this was so delicious.  It has amazing flavor and is actually pretty light.  I served the lamb and hummus with pita, broccoli, and a carrot and cucumber salad.  It was great to just scoop some of the lamb and hummus with pitta or my favorite a cucumber slice.  I can't wait until ground lamb is on sale again.

Spiced Lamb and Hummus

Ingredients:
Modified from Hummus with Spiced Lamb | The View from the Great Island

2 Tbsp Mediterranean spice mix:
     2 tsp paprika
     1 tsp allspice
     1 tsp garam masala (optional)
     1 tsp coriander
     1/4 tsp cumin
     1/4 tsp cinnamon
     1/4 tsp turmeric
     1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1 pound ground lamb
Juice of 1 lemon
Hummus
Toasted sliced almonds
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a large frying pan cook the ground lamb over medium heat.  Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of the spice mix on the raw meat and add a little salt and pepper.

When meat has browned pour off excess grease and taste for seasoning.  Add more spice mix if necessary and squeeze in lemon juice.

To serve dollop 1-2 Tbsp of hummus on the center of a large plate.  Smooth, with the back of a spoon, into a wider circle that is thinner in the center.  Place 1/4 lamb mixture on top of the hummus and sprinkle with sliced almonds.  Lastly drizzle on some olive oil.

Serve with pitta, vegetable, and/or salad.

Serves 4

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Two Cup Tuesday, Teach Me, Lou Lou Girls, Tasty Tuesday, Brag About it, Whimsy Wednesday, Wednesday Roundup, Full Plate, Eat Create Party, Freedom Friday, Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, Saturday Night Fever, Share it Sunday, See Ya in the Gumbo, Merry Monday




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