If eggplant salad isn’t a go-to dish in your house, it’s time to change that! Throw some sliced eggplant and halloumi cheese on the grill, or in a pan, and add it to a bed of fresh greens, crisp radishes and hearty hard boiled eggs for a meatless entree you’ll love
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALAD:
- 1 small eggplant
- 1/2 lb halloumi cheese
- 8 cups mixed baby greens
- 4 large radishes,, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup caramelized onions, (see note)
- 2 large eggs,, hard boiled, peeled, and halved
INGREDIENTS FOR THE PESTO DRESSING:
- 1/3 cup pesto, (see note)
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- Salt & pepper, (to taste)
- 1-2 Tablespoons water, (just enough to make the mixture pourable)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Slice the eggplant. Liberally cover it with table salt and set aside for 15-30 minutes.
- Rinse the salt off of the eggplant, then pat it dry.
- Slice the halloumi and set aside.
- Place the eggplant and halloumi on the preheated grill or (lightly greased) grill pan and cook until grill marks start to appear.
- Flip and cook until grill marks appear and the cheese is firm.
- Assemble the salads by placing a bed of greens on each plate, and topping with the eggplant, cheese, radishes, onions, and eggs.
- Make the dressing by pureeing all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Drizzle with pesto dressing immediately before serving.
NOTES
- As halloumi cooks, it releases a lot of water. It may smoke or sputter, but don’t panic. Eventually, the moisture will cook off and grill marks will appear on the cheese.
- You’ll know the halloumi is ready to flip when it’s firm enough to do so successfully. That sounds like an oxymoron, but if you try to flip it and it is floppy or starts to crumble, it’s not ready yet.
- You can serve this with the eggplant and cheese hot or cold.
- You can use any pesto you want, but I used this radish greens pesto recipe.
- If you use a different pesto recipe, depending on how runny it is to begin with, you may need more or less oil or water to thin it out.
Nutrition Information:
YIELD: 4 SERVING SIZE: g
Amount Per Serving: CALORIES: 377SATURATED FAT: 12gCHOLESTEROL: 94mgSODIUM: 934mgCARBOHYDRATES: 6gSUGAR: 1gPROTEIN: 17g
