GRILLED EGGPLANT SALAD WITH QUINOA, ZUCCHINI AND TAHINI YOGHURT DRESSING
A delicious, filling, nutritious salad with smokey grilled eggplant and a creamy tahini dressing – it’s a good one! This salad is pretty easy to make, and if it’s a hot day it’s the perfect vegetarian thing to cook on the barbecue. Even if you’re not vegetarian and are having a barbecue throw the eggplant on while you’re resting your meat and you have an impressive vegetable laden salad to share as a side. I love grating zucchini into grain salads, it’s a great way to get some extra vegetables in and also adds moisture, so your grains won’t end up dry. Serves 6 as a side
Ingredients
1 eggplant
1 tsp salt
Olive oil for brushing eggplant
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 zucchini, finely grated
3 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup spring onion or red onion
3 Tbs mixed seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, flaxseed – whatever you have)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 Tab Tahini
1/2 cup yoghurt
1 tsp honey
1 tsp chilli flakes
rosemary for oil brush
Slice eggplant into 5mm thick rounds. Salt and set aside. Squeeze the grated zucchini to remove the excess moisture – you can use muslin, a new chux cloth or just your hands.
Combine quinoa, spinach, zucchini, onion and seeds and toss.
Make dressing: Add tahini and yoghurt to a small bowl and stir well to combine. Add honey, lemon juice and zest and chilli flakes. Stir well and set aside.
Heat a grill plate or bbq, brush the eggplant slices lightly with olive oil on one side. Place oiled side down on the hot grill and cook for a few minutes or until grill marks have appeared. Brush the non grilled side with olive oil and flip. Continue cooking until eggplant is soft and tender.
Remove. You can serve it hot or cold.
To serve: Mix eggplant with prepared salad. drizzle over dressing. Serve extra dressing on side.
Tip: I use rosemary as my oil brush!