When I was creating my chicken kiev recipe the other day, I realised that vegetarians are missing out on a fabulous dish ! I know you can buy vegetarian versions which try to impersonate chicken, but I wanted to come up with something a little more original.
I had a think about how I could do it and realised that a small aubergine cut in half is a similar size to a chicken breast. Aubergine has a quality like no other vegetable too-it has a soft,'meaty' texture when cooked and left unpeeled, holds its shape really well.
This vegetarian version is made in exactly the same way as you would make a chicken kiev, it just takes a little longer to cook.
Another huge benefit for a WeightWatcher is that it's a 0sp/pp filling vegetable so this becomes an amazingly economical dish for us!
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My Aubergine kiev works out to ;
3sp/2pp/approx.100kcal for one kiev
6sp/5pp/approx.200kcal for two kievs
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You Will Need : (For 2 Kievs)
1 small-medium Aubergine
2 slices WeightWatchers White Danish Bread
1 egg white
(or 2 tablespoons 2 chicks egg white)
Two 10g portions low fat spread
(I used Tesco Olive Light. This is 1pp/35kcal for 10g. Please check pp/kcal if you use a different brand)
1-2 cloves garlic
Dried Herbs
Black Pepper
Frylight Oil
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Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade.
Start by weighing 10g low fat spread per portion accurately into a small ramekin dish. If you are making more than one Aubergine Kiev, use a separate pot for each portion.
Crush the garlic into the pot. If you like this dish really garlicky, use one clove of garlic per person. For a milder flavour, half a clove is enough.
Add herbs and black pepper. Mix together thoroughly.
Take the aubergine. Remove the leaves and stalk. Cut in half horizontally so that you have 2 even pieces.
Make a slit half way up the aubergine. This needs to be wide enough to pack the garlic mixture inside and deep enough to reach the centre. It's not very flexible, so you will need to pull it open slightly.
Fill the hole with the mixture using a teaspoon, then push it as far into the middle of the aubergine as you can with your finger.
Pop the bread into a food processor and blitz until you have fine breadcrumbs.
Prepare 2 bowls-one for the egg white and one for the breadcrumbs.
Close up the hole in the side of the aubergine. Dip into the egg white, coating evenly.
Transfer to the breadcrumbs, coating generously.
The breadcrumbs will sit better on the flat surface of the aubergine, so coat the bottom, but use a generous amount on the top.
Transfer to a baking sheet, mist with Frylight oil and bake flat-side-up for 40-45 minutes until the aubergine is really soft and the topping is beautifully golden.
The garlic butter mixture will disperse evenly throughout the absorbant flesh of the aubergine, infusing it with delicious, pungent flavours. You will end up with soft, delicate aubergine contrasted with a crispy, crunchy breadcrumb topping. It really is quite divine!
They are delicious served like this with a fresh salad. You could make some roasted butternut squash chips too.
(Click HERE for how to make Butternut Squash chips).
Alternatively, serve with spaghetti and a simple tomato sauce which is equally delicious.