Eggplant Salad

Eggplant Salad

Everyone has heard of using lettuce as a base for salad before, but eggplant? If you’re looking for a fresh new item to impress family or friends at your next get-together, this dish is a sure bet. It is nutritious, healthy, and delicious. It also shows that you know what you’re doing with eggplants, which are arguably one of the vegetables that people run away from the most.

So…Why Eggplants?

As a cook, one of the questions I get most often is “why should I use eggplants?” Well, eggplants are actually one of the most nutritious, colorful, and versatile vegetables around! They are great additions to a variety of dishes, ranging from stews and salads to kebabs and much more. Eggplants have been used for centuries in a variety of dishes, and today they still star in many culinary dishes from appetizers to main courses.

Cooking With Eggplants

Eggplants are a versatile food. You can prepare (either slice or cube them) right away, then either throw them on the grill, bake them in the oven, or saute them. Throw a little marinade on them on the grill, and they can basically be eaten as-is. Otherwise, they can be added to a dish that you’re about to serve fresh on the table. You can even cook them ahead of time and refrigerate them to store for use later on.

How Do You Cook Eggplants?

Really, the sky’s the limit! Thanks to recipes that have been tried, tasted, accepted, and rejected, there are many ways to cook this delicious and versatile vegetable today. Some of the most popular cooking methods are grilling, roasting, and sauteing. In fact, you can use one of these preparation methods to create my mouth-watering eggplant salad, which is one of my favorite ways to eat the vegetable. If it’s a cool fall or winter day, you’ll want to cook inside on the oven. But if it’s nice out, try grilling! Grilling the vegetable gives it a nice, crunchy texture and a bit of a unique smokey flavor. If you’re intimidated by the grill, ask the closest male around (a husband, boyfriend, or friend) to show you the ropes. Chances are good he’ll be eager to show off his grilling skills, and you’ll be on your way to making a killer meal!

The Benefits of Eggplants

While they don’t often make the news for their nutritional benefits, eggplants are actually very healthy. They are packed with a number of vitamins and minerals, including folate, potassium, manganese, and fiber. They also contain a number of vitamins and essential minerals like thiamin, magnesium, and copper. Much to the delight of your weight-conscious guests, they are also very low in calories and high in fiber, which is important for proper digestion. In fact, just one cup of this raw vegetable has only 20 calories! Dessert? Yes please!

Suitable for Vegans and Vegetarians

Eggplants are similar to portabella mushrooms in the sense that both are meaty, filling, and can taste convincingly like meat. But since they’re both vegetables, they are much lower in calories and have many more health benefits than meat. So if you are just trying to eat healthier or you have vegan or vegetarian friends coming over for dinner, you can make a nice hearty meal using these two vegetables. If you’re trying to get a friend or family member to stop eating so much meat, convincing him or her to try a bite of your delicious eggplant-based concoction is sure to earn a thumbs-up as a healthier and equally delicious alternative to meat.

Choosing Your Vegetables Wisely

I like to tell (and re-tell) the story of one of my first experiences with eggplants. This happened when I was younger and of course I thought I knew everything. So in my youthful bliss, I set out to make baba ganoush, a popular and delicious Middle Eastern appetizer, for an entire crowd. The problem was, I started out with two skinny eggplants. Needless to say, that was not nearly enough! I barely had enough for myself. Now older and wiser, I tell you to pick the biggest, roundest, juiciest eggplants that you can find. They’ll be the most flavorful, and they will provide enough food for your guests.

In addition to size, you’ll have to consider your options when it comes to variety. There are about 10 species of eggplants used in dishes around the world. In the United States, the one you see most often in grocery stores is the American eggplant. This variety is the large, plump, and juicy kind that I was telling you about earlier. Its taste and texture are familiar to most people, and it is adaptable to many kinds of recipes, including mine. This kind is easy to cube or slice, which means it’s convenient to roast in the oven or throw on the grill. In addition to salads, it’s also a popular type to use for baba ganoush. And yes, I have a recipe for that dish too, which I encourage you to try!

Another variety that’s longer and thinner than American eggplants are the Italian eggplants. If you can’t find American eggplants, these slightly more exotic cousins are a good second choice. They are relatively meaty and have a beautiful, pearly purple skin that adds a nice color to any dish. The skin of this species is more tender, which means you can even leave it on to make a more dramatic salad.

Making the Meal

Now that you have your eggplants selected, you can start putting everything together. The egpplants can be sliced and grilled or cubed and sauteed. The steak sauce and sweet onion are one of my main ingredients to give this recipe a nice balanced taste. The rainbow of colors in the peppers (ranging from green to orange) makes the dish even more colorful, flavorful, and presentable. Pomegranate – a superfruit in its own right – and pomegranate molasses are other special additions that make for an exotic and unique dish. Salt and pepper, of course, are classic standbys that add a nice rich finish. As a parent of four kids, I can tell you that this sweet-savory combination is a hit for all ages!

Adding in Some Sides

While you want to keep your dish the main attraction, you can throw in some delicious complementary side dishes that can easily make a complete meal. Since my recipe is one that’s Middle Eastern in origin, I can share some delicious Middle Eastern side dishes with you that will make a complete meal. Any type of bread, such as pita bread or lavash, will do. You can also put some rice on the side, which is also a traditional Middle Eastern staple. For starters, you might try making some hummus or baba ganoush. Both are equally delicious and popular appetizers that are healthier than most and meat-free.

Depending on how many people you’re feeding, you can use my dish as a main course or as an appetizer. To create a healthy, filling full course menu with this vegetable, I recommend other vegetarian main dishes, too. This includes cauliflower steak and a vegetable casserole made of fresh tomato and zucchini. A Spanish paella made of seasonal vegetables is a flavorful and festive addition to the table.

Happy Endings

Of course, don’t forget to finish off the meal with a dessert! Fresh fruit, a fruit pie, or ice cream are always popular. If you want to continue the Middle Eastern theme, however, try serving baklava, rice pudding, or a sweet Egyptian pastry-filled pudding.

Like many people, you may have once had no idea what to do with the eggplants in your garden or your kitchen. But now, I hope that I have given you inspiration for a quick, easy, and delicious late-summer dish. Since it has some flavors of autumn, it can easily take you through a fall get-together, too. Make it the main attraction or add in some side dishes or vegetarian entrees for a real party. Your guests will be happy with a delicious meal, and they’ll hopefully be inspired to cook with eggplants, too!