Eggplant & Cucumber Crunch Salad

Eggplant & Cucumber Crunch Salad

We always include a recipe of the current weeks harvest in our CSA boxes so our members have easy recipes up their sleeves using the abundance of Tumbleweed produce.  This simple salad was the recipe a few weeks back. I love how easy it is to whip up and the flavor combinations are killer. Beautiful eggplants are still cranking in the fields and I have a lot of eggplant recipes coming at you guys in the next few weeks. Stay tuned! This salad is a combination of many of my favorite veggies tossed into one simple dish. Eggplants, scallions, cucumbers and tomatoes make up the heart of this salad and I can't get over how fresh this tastes. The lemon tahini dressing ties everything together for a simple, no fuss meal. I hope you all enjoy this salad as much as we do. Grab a fork and dig into some farm fresh goodness!

Eggplant + Cucumber Crunch Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 medium-sized eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 3 scallions, minced, white and light green parts only
  • 1 large cucumber, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
  • 1 bunch of parsley, diced
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas-if canned rinsed and drained
  • salt and pepper to taste
For the dressing
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Prepare the quinoa by combining 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until quinoa has absorbed the liquid and can easily be fluffed with a fork.
  2. Prepare the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together until smooth. Taste test and adjust seasonings if necessary.
  3. Slice the eggplants into 1/4 inch chunks (no need to peel) and lightly salt them and set aside on a dish cloth.
  4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the eggplant and chickpeas and continue to cook stirring often until eggplants begin to brown on all sides and chickpeas become lightly toasted. About 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  5. In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa with cherry tomatoes, cucumber and eggplant/chickpea mixture. Stir in the parsley and toss until well combine.  Drizzle with dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide. *Adjust measurement and ingredients as necessary.

Comments