Butternut and Eggplant Salad
Butternut and Eggplant Salad
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash, peeled,
de-seeded and cubed
1 medium eggplant, cubed
1 large red onion, peeled, halved and quartered
4 Tablespoons avocado oil
½ cup vegetable broth
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or grated
½ teaspoon dried chili flakes - optional
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon real-salt or pink Himalayan salt
Freshly crushed black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Grated zest and juice of 1 small lemon
Extra add ins:
1/2 cup de-stoned olives cut in half
1 cup chickpeas, cooked
*You can replace the tomatoes with 2 roasted peppers
*You can replace the cilantro with basil
Method:
Set oven to 350 F.
Oven roast the butternut squash, red onion, 2 Tablespoons avocado oil and broth until the butternut squash is cooked.
Once cooked, set aside.
Turn on the broiler/grill element in the stove, spray the eggplant with avocado oil and season with ½ teaspoon of garlic and herb salt.
Grill the eggplant turning the eggplant regularly until soft, cooked and slightly caramelized. Set aside to cool.
Add the last 2 Tablespoons of avocado oil to a pan and over medium heat, sauté the garlic, chili flakes and cumin seeds for 2-3 minutes being careful not to burn the seeds. Remove from stove, add paprika, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the garlic mixture.
Add the oven roasted butternut squash and eggplant, fresh herbs (and extra add-ins, if desired). Add more salt and fresh lemon if your palate desires more.
Lightly mix all the ingredients together and serve on a salad platter with a generous handful of fresh arugula.