Eggplant and Zucchini Roll-Ups
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- Serves: Makes 12–14
- Preparation: 10
- Cooking: 15
- Ready: 25
These tasty, herb-rich roll-ups are one of the best ways to satisfy that craving for Italian food, without having to compromise your healthy intentions.
Ingredients
- 2 large courgettes
- 1 large aubergine
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 75 g pine nuts
- 80 ml water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 5–6 sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- handful of fresh basil leaves
- 3–4 tablespoons shelled hemp seeds
You will also need:
- baking sheet lined with foil
- cocktail sticks/toothpicks (optional)
Method
Preheat the grill/broiler to medium.
Cut the courgettes and aubergine lengthways into long strips about 1 cm thick. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheets and lightly brush the aubergine with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil.
Scatter the thyme over the vegetables. Grill/broil for about 3 minutes, then flip them over and grill/broil for another 3 minutes.
Watch them carefully so that they don’t burn. You may have to remove the courgettes at this point and leave the aubergine in for another 1–2 minutes. Once done, set them aside to cool.
Put the remaining olive oil, pine nuts, water, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, marjoram and salt in a food processor and blitz until very smooth.
Take one vegetable strip, gently spread a thin layer of the mixture over it, lay some basil leaves on top and sprinkle with hemp seeds. Roll up the strip and spear with a cocktail stick/toothpick, if necessary, to seal it closed.
Additional notes
Super Healthy Snacks and Treats by Jenna Zoe (photography by Clare Winfield) is published by Ryland Peters & Small and is available from www.rylandpeters.com.
“I don’t like to throw around the word “superfood” because it puts us in the mindset that some healthy foods are better than others. In reality, super-health is achieved when we feast on all of nature’s bounty. The humble cucumber should not be overlooked in favour of stuffing our cupboards with baobab, because the truth is that what we know about the nutrients in our food is only the tip of the iceberg. Food science is largely a new field and we have no idea of the way compounds really behave in our bodies.
Nevertheless, people are always asking me to recommend some amazing foods that they can add to their diets, and I almost always say hemp seeds. They are a rich plant source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which our society is chronically deprived of, and also a significant source of iron, magnesium and protein (an amazing 11 grams in 2 tablespoons). Their soft but crunchy texture is also strangely addictive. I sprinkle these on salads, soups or quinoa three to four times per week. Surefire signs that you are short on Omega-3s are waxy ears, joint pain and brittle hair and/or nails.”
