I love coming up with salad recipes that are unique and not lettuce based. This eggplant salad is such a winner. It’s absolutely delicious and packed with so much flavour and texture.


In the past I’ve only ever used thin slices of eggplant in salads, which are good, but more time consuming to cook. By cutting the eggplant into small cubes, it not only cooks quickly, but is also a great chunky base for a salad.


The eggplant is quickly sautéed until tender and then tossed in a cumin, lemon, garlic & honey sauce. If you are vegan you can easily swap the honey for maple syrup or another sweetener of choice. The cubed eggplant absorbs some of the sauce so that every bite is full of flavour. The eggplant is then tossed with toasted almonds, red onion, and lots of mint and parsley, which adds great freshness.


I prefer eating this salad at room temperature but you can also enjoy it while the eggplant is still warm, or cold straight out of the fridge. I love having a big bowl of it for lunch but it’s also a great side dish to enjoy with chicken or lamb.


If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk9ceRatZOE[/embedyt]

Chopped Eggplant, Almond & Herb Salad

5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 8 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 18 mins
Course Gluten/Grain Free, Paleo, Vegan
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups cubed eggplant
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup toasted almonds halved
  • 1/2 red onion finely sliced
  • 2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2/3 cup chopped fresh mint
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet, sprinkle the cubed eggplant with salt and cook over medium heat for approximately 8 minutes
  • While the eggplant is cooking, in a bowl whisk together the cumin, sweetener, vinegar, lemon juice, crushed garlic and olive oil.
  • Once the eggplant has begun to soften, pour the liquid overtop and cook for another minute before removing from the heat. Make sure that you do not overcook the eggplant, it should be tender but not mushy and still hold its shape.
  • Transfer the eggplant along with all of the remaining liquid in the pan to a serving bowl or platter. Add in the almonds, red onion, parsley and mint and stir until well mixed, season with salt and pepper before serving.