Peel the eggplant and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cut the peppers and onion in similar size pieces. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil – just a teaspoon or two, to coat. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss well to coat. Cut about ¼ of an inch off the top of the whole head of garlic and wrap in a piece of foil. Place the wrapped garlic on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Stir once or twice while baking.
Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and gently squeeze out the seeds. Cut in 1 inch pieces. Add to the rest of the vegetables and continue to bake for 15 more minutes or until the vegetables are soft and starting to brown.
Put the vegetables (and any juices) in a food processor along with the lemon zest and juice, basil and ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil. Unwrap the garlic and squeeze the creamy, roasted pulp in with the veggies. Pulse about 6 or 8 times or until the spread is blended but thick and still chunky. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper and sesame oil if needed. Careful with the sesame oil, it is strong and you don’t want it to overpower the flavors of the vegetables.
Serve at room temperature.
Flax Meal Crackers
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet.
Mix flax seed meal, cheese, water and ½ teaspoon of salt together. Dump onto the prepared pan. Top with a sheet of waxed paper and roll out into a rectangle that is approximately 10 inches by 8 inches and about 1/8th of an inch thick. Make sure that the edges are the same thickness as the rest or they will cook too fast. Remove waxed paper and sprinkle the top with the rest of the salt (you can add more or less salt depending on your preference, I like salty crackers).
Score the mixture lightly with a knife to aid in cutting the crackers when baked. Bake for 15 – 18 minutes or until the center is firm and the edges are just starting to brown slightly. Remove from oven and let cool. Crackers will crisp up as they cool. Cut into pieces. If the edges of the cut crackers are not as crisp as you would like, put them back into the oven for a minute or two.
You can flavor these Gluten Free Flax Meal Crackers up in a variety of ways. Try grating 2 cloves of garlic into the mixture (or a teaspoon of garlic powder) or adding dried herbs, cracked black pepper or red pepper flakes. Let your imagination go wild!