Lentil and Grilled Eggplant Salad
Servings: 4 -6
Ingredients
- ¾ cup French lentils picked over and rinsed
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ½ yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves smashed
- 3 cups vegetable stock or water
- 2 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing vegetables (or use melted unrefined coconut oil to grill vegetables)
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar preferably raw
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 medium eggplants approx. 1- 1 ¼ pound each, sliced lengthwise ½-inch thick
- 1 small red onion sliced into whole rings
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1/3 cup fresh whole flat-leaf parsley leaves
- ½ cup walnuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Place the lentils and the wine in a medium saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the wine has been absorbed.
- Add the stock or water, onion and garlic to the saucepan with the lentils and bring to a boil over high heat, lower to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
- Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper together in a small bowl and reserve.
- When the lentils are done, drain and pick out onion and garlic pieces and discard. Place lentils in the serving bowl and pour a tablespoon of the dressing onto the warm lentils and stir gently to combine. Reserve remaining dressing.
- Turn your grill on to medium-high heat. Brush the eggplant and red onion with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill the eggplant and onion until tender and slightly charred (not burned).
- Chop the grilled vegetables into bite-size pieces and add to the lentils. Add the chopped tomato, parsley leaves and walnuts.
- Toss the salad with the remainder of the dressing and taste for salt. Serve warm or room temperature.