Roasted Eggplant Salad

I’ve made a new friend.  Her name is Allison, but I’ve never actually met her.  I think that’s thing I love the most about blogging.  You have an opportunity to meet new people who live somewhere else.  She happens to live outside of Raleigh.  I’ve never been to that part of the country-yet.

Allison is an amazing cook, and has been making quite a few recipes from the special edition of Everyday Living Magazine.  I’m hoping that if I play my cards right, she’ll make all the recipes that I’ve had my eye on without having to deal with the trial and error.  That’s what friends are for, right?  She’s already made some chicken (yum), cookies, and a great drink, in addition to this great side.  She’s such a hard worker!

I can say, that I do love the sides in Everyday Living (thanks Cathy).  I’ve made a few of them and have never been disappointed.  This side is no exception.  I was lucky enough to get an eggplant from my neighbor.  I served this with some Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes.  So good.

I thought I had a chickpeas in the pantry, but must have used them to make humus.  That’s another great thing about this recipe, it’s so adaptable.   Plus, I only had one really large eggplant, so I scaled down the amounts slightly.  Still an impressive side that took almost no time to make that everyone enjoyed.

Here’s Allison’s post.

Roasted Eggplant with Chickpeas and Feta

• 3 medium Eggplants, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 5 T Olive Oil, divided
• Kosher Salt and freshly ground black Pepper (I used Truffle Salt)
• 1- 14.5-oz can of Chickpeas
• 1/2 C crumbled Feta Cheese
• 2 Lemons
• 3/4 C Fresh Basil, chopped

Rinse chickpeas under cool water.  Set aside.

Cut eggplants into 1 1/2-inch pieces.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spread the eggplant between the two.  Toss with 3 T olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Roast in a 475 degree oven 25 to 30 minutes; stirring once.  Let cool on baking sheets.

Add the juice of 2 lemons, 2 T olive oil, chickpeas and feta cheese to a large mixing bowl.  Add cooled eggplant and chopped basil and toss.  Add Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings.