August may have come and gone but the end of summer heralds an abundance of eggplant! The purple vegetable is in season from now until October — so there’s still plenty of time to whip up this Middle Eastern-inspired salad. Grilled eggplant, a good source of fiber and B vitamins, adds bulk to the dish while keeping calories in check. Top your dish with juicy pomegranate seeds, rich in vitamin C and K, and crunchy toasted pine nuts for a fall salad recipe that can’t be beat. Fair warning: the creamy lemon and tahini dressing is so delicious you’ll want to lick every last drop from the bowl.
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Grilled Eggplant Salad Recipe with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
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Ingredients
For the salad:
2 large eggplants
4 cups arugula
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
For the dressing:
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
1 teaspoon honey (or other sweetener if vegan)
Pinch of salt
Preparation
- Preheat the grill to medium heat.
- Cut the eggplant into ¼-inch thick slices and sprinkle with salt. Leave to rest for 20 minutes.
- In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients for the dressing and blend until smooth. Add in a splash of water to thin out the dressing if it looks too thick.
- Rinse the eggplant and pat dry. Lightly brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil and place them on the grill. Cook for approximately 4 minutes per side until the slices become tender and begin to brown. Once cooked, transfer to a cutting board and allow to cool.
- Cut the eggplant slices into cubes and place in a salad bowl along with the arugula, pomegranate seeds, toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley. Toss with dressing right before serving.
For more recipes from Carmen, visit everylastbite.com.