Schopenhauer and Roasted Eggplants with Peppers

A healthy vegan spread that has a rich flavor and can be used as a dip, a sandwich spread, or added to pastas or salads. It is made in no time and will nourish your body with wholesome food for days.

My friend, Diane, and I decided to start a book club with some of our friends. At our first meeting at my house, we were off to a good start. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we talked about our personal relationship with books. Three of us (myself included) told stories about reading under the blankets with a flashlight when we were children. All of us love to read and admit that we often don't take the time to do so. Oh, those busy lives we live! As a hostess, I nominated three books and our group chose The Schopenhauer Cure by Irvin Yalon, a beautifully told tale about a psychotherapist who is diagnosed with a fatal disease. Knowing he has only one good year left, he is inspired to reexamine his life and work. He chooses to continue to work with his therapy group during this final year. He reconnects with one of his former patients, who is miraculously transformed by the teachings of the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.
​Schopenhauer lived an isolated life, without friends, wife, family, or colleagues. He was a troubled individual and a most peculiar man. Yet his work showed an extraordinary range of depth in his vision. Some philosophers argue that his work contains more interesting ideas than  other famous philosophers. He advised to minimize our natural desires for the sake of achieving a more tranquil frame of mind. He was the first western philosopher to look to the east and the  Buddhist teachings for guidance. The book is a moving debate about the end of life.

Let's not become too philosophical and return to one of my favorite snack. I like it because it makes me believe that I am eating healthy food, even though it tastes so rich and sinful.
I have made this tasty spread for years. My inspiration comes from Ina Garden's recipe. I have played with it and used it for different purposes. The originally recipe is for a dip. The spread is great with homemade or store-bought pita chips.  But it also great as a vegetable added to quinoa or on a sandwich. I love to snack on it. I get hungry just thinking about it.

This dish can be made a day ahead. If you don't like the spicy kick that the red pepper gives this dish, feel free to reduce the amount or leave it out.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:
​
1 eggplant (1-2 pounds), peeled and cubed
​2 red or orange peppers, seeded and cubed
2 red onions, peeled and cubed
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced 
3-4 TBS olive oil
1½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. dried, smoked chipotle peppers (optional )
1 TBS ketchup
3 TBS chopped parsley

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut the peeled eggplant, peppers, and onions into 1-inch pieces. Toss them in a bowl with the garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Smear a baking sheet with 1 TBS of olive oil and spread the vegetables on them. Roast them for 45 minutes until they are lightly browned and soft, tossing them a couple of times during cooking. Cool slightly. 
If you want to make the dip, put the veggies in a food processor, add the ketchup and parsley and pulse them several times to blend. Taste for salt and pepper. I often leave some vegetables out to use them for other dishes or just have them for a snack. I have added them to my pasta and quinoa salad.
Recipe adopted from Ina Garden
​Adapted by ©Sunnycovechef ​