Mediterranean Eggplant Salad Food

MEDITERRANEAN EGGPLANT SALAD

Steps:

• Heat the grill to medium heat. Slice the eggplant into rounds. Rub salt on each side of the eggplant and lay on a baking sheet for an hour. Use a paper towel to pat the eggplant dry and then brush each side of the eggplant generously with olive oil. Sprinkle each side of the eggplant with salt, pepper and za'atar {the za'atar is optional}.
• Place the eggplant on the grill and cook for 5 minutes. Flip eggplant and grill until browned on bottom and soft. Let the eggplant cool and then chop into small pieces.
• In a large bowl mix the eggplant with the remaining ingredients and toss lightly to combine.

GRILLED VEGGIE AND ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Add the dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 cup of the olive oil to a large bowl. Whisk to combine, then add all the prepped vegetables. Toss the vegetables to coat them in the marinade.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is heated, add the vegetables in batches, being sure to keep them in a single layer and not to overcrowd the pan. Grill until the vegetables have nice char marks and are beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the vegetables and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a rimmed baking sheet. Keep grilling until all the vegetables are cooked. Cool slightly, then cut the vegetables into small bite size pieces. Save any leftover marinade to build the dressing for the salad.
• To the serving bowl with the leftover marinade from the vegetables, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Whisk to combine. Add the cooked orzo and the chopped grilled vegetables and toss to combine. Add the feta, parsley and dill and toss again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve immediately or keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

MEDITERRANEAN EGGPLANT AND BARLEY SALAD

Steps:

• Roast eggplant and zucchini:
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
• Toss eggplant and zucchini with 5 tablespoons oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl, then spread in 2 oiled large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pans. Roast vegetables in oven, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through baking, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes total. Combine vegetables in 1 pan and cool, reserving other pan for cooling barley.
• Cook barley:
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook scallion, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add barley and cook, stirring until well coated with oil, 2 minutes more. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all of liquid is absorbed and barley is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Transfer to reserved shallow baking pan and spread to quickly cool, uncovered, to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
• Make dressing and assemble salad:
• Whisk together lemon juice, garlic, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add barley, roasted vegetables, and remaining ingredients to bowl with dressing and toss until combined well. Serve with cheese slices.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND GARLIC SALAD WITH TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place eggplant in 13 x 9 x 2-inch roasting pan. Drizzle oil over; toss to coat. Roast 20 minutes. Add garlic; continue to roast until eggplant and garlic are tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Cool slightly. Finely chop garlic cloves. Transfer eggplant and garlic to medium bowl.
• Mix remaining ingredients into eggplant mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) per serving: calories, 115; total fat, 7 g; saturated fat, 1 g; cholesterol, 0

ARMENIAN EGGPLANT SALAD

Steps:

• Roast all the peppers and eggplant under broiler, turning so all sides are roasted evenly.
• When the skins are charred, remove from broiler and allow to cool.
• Placing them in a paper bag allows them to steam so the skins may be easily removed.
• Peel, seed and dice the peppers and place in a salad bowl.
• Peel and dice the eggplant and add to bowl.
• Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, and seasonings.
• Toss all ingredients well, cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill.
• This salad can be made 24 hours in advance, and will taste even better when the flavors are allowed to blend.