Shelley’s Scrumptious Savoury Slices:

Shelley’s Scrumptious Savoury Slices: 

were named in honour of a friend who liked these so much she  told me she had been dreaming about them ...

They are  great for people on Vegan, Paleo  and Low Carb High Fat diets. They are also relatively low in Fructose (although try not to eat too many Aubergines if you are ona low FODMAPS diet!) and they are suitable for people prone to heartburn-if combined with some lower fat veg/salads etc.

Use them as dippers for guacamole or other sauces or as a bread substitute. They are also a  lovely alternative to crisps/chips.

Image taken from: https://theheartthrills.wordpress.com/tag/aubergine/

Ingredients:

·         1-2 large aubergines

Dressing:

·         ¼ to ½  cup of Water

·         2 heaped tablespoons of seed butter ( I use tahini and/or sunflower seed butter)

·         2 tablespoons of tamari

·         2-4 tablespoons of  oil ( Rapeseed oil is a good option nutritionally but olive oil works fine)

·         1 teaspoon of ume plum seasoning (optional)

·         1 table spoon of allspice or

·         1-2 teaspoons each of :

§      Cumin &/or Coriander

§      Paprika,

§      Turmeric,

§      Thyme &/or dried Basil &/or Oregano

Instructions:

1.        Turn the oven to the DEFROST setting or crank up your dehydrator if you have it. ( I wish!)

2.       Cut 1-2 large aubergines into slices about 8mm thick ( The thinner the slices, the greater the danger that they will get too brittle and paper-like; however, if they are too thick they will feel a bit too raw in the middle.)

3.       Put 2 heavily heaped tablespoons of tahini and/or sunflower seed butter ( 1 spoon of each works well) into a mixing jug. Slowly add water, stirring continuously until you get a nice paste. You can thin this a little to the consistency of cream but no thinner!

4.      Stir the tamari, ume plum seasoning, oil and spices into the seed butter paste. I recommend using 4 tablespoons of rapeseed oil to ensure a good ratio of omega 3:6.

5.       Line some baking or roasting trays with grease-proof parchment paper.

6.      Lay the aubergine slices on the paper and brush with the oil mixture.

Pour ..................................................Spread.........................Check that all slices are well-coated

7.       Any leftover oil can be poured into a jar and refrigerated. It makes a lovely salad dressing (It is particularly nice with my best broccoli salad. Recipe to follow! )

8.      Place the aubergine slice trays into your oven or dehydrator and check every hour.

9.      They take about 2-3 hours in my oven, but check after an hour and then every 20-30 minutes. The “baking” time depends on your oven and how thickly you cut the aubergine.

You want them to look like they have soaked up the dressing and you don’t want them to be too dry and white in the middle. They should look slimy or crispy but not too raw.

Ideally you want to catch them before they get too hard and burnt! Don’t worry if some of them seem too dry and others seem really chewy when you take them out. They will improve a bit after you jar them.

10.    So the last step is to put them in jars and eat them later!