Description
This Grilled Eggplant Salad is smoky, fresh, and full of Middle Eastern flavor with chewy freekeh, fresh herbs, and a creamy lemony yogurt sauce.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 cup dry Freekah (or sub quinoa)
- 2 ;1/2 cups water
- 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 1/4 cup mint, chopped
- 1/4 cup dill, chopped
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped3 scallions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest4 tablespoons olive oil3-4 tablespoons lemon juice1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste1/2 teaspoon pepper1 teaspoon sumac (optional)1/2 teaspoon Aleppo chili flakes ( optional)
Yogurt Dressing
- 1 cup plain thick Greek yogurt (or sub vegan yogurt)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill (or mint, or parsley)1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced1/2 teaspoon sumac (optional)1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium high.
- Place freekeh and water in a medium pot, bring to a boil, cover, then turn heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes, until water is absorbed and freekeh is tender.
- Slice the eggplant and brush or spray with olive oil. Season with salt. Grill both sides, 3-4 minutes until grill marks appear, then wrap in foil to allow them to steam and cook through. Cut the eggplant into bite-sized pieces.
- Place the cooked freekeh, eggplant, chopped herbs, lemon zest, scallions, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and spices in a bowl. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust salt and lemon. You want it to taste slightly tart. the smoky flavor will come through as it sits.
- Place the yogurt sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk. ( if making the vegan version, you may need to add more lemon)
- To serve, lather the yogurt dressing on platter, and pile the salad over top. Garnish with torn mint leaves.
- To pack up for lunch, spead a little yogurt sauce on the bottom of the container, spoon salad over top ( or keep it separate).
- Salad will keep 3-4 days in the fridge, with yogurt dressing on the side.
Notes
Sumac gives the salad an earthy tangy quality. If you don’t have it, you may need a little more salt, and add some lemon zest.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 337
- Sugar: 8.3 g
- Sodium: 486.2 mg
- Fat: 17.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 42.5 g
- Fiber: 10.3 g
- Protein: 9.3 g
- Cholesterol: 8 mg
