Dishing Up the Dirt

Eggplant & Cucumber Crunch Salad

We always include a recipe of the current weeks harvest in our CSA boxes so our members have easy recipes up their sleeves using the abundance of Tumbleweed produce.  This simple salad was the recipe a few weeks back. I love how easy it is to whip up and the flavor combinations are killer.

Beautiful eggplants are still cranking in the fields and I have a lot of eggplant recipes coming at you guys in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

This salad is a combination of many of my favorite veggies tossed into one simple dish. Eggplants, scallions, cucumbers and tomatoes make up the heart of this salad and I can’t get over how fresh this tastes. The lemon tahini dressing ties everything together for a simple, no fuss meal.

I hope you all enjoy this salad as much as we do. Grab a fork and dig into some farm fresh goodness!

Eggplant + Cucumber Crunch Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Prep Time: 15 minutes    Cook Time: 30 minutes    Serves: 4

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 medium-sized eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 3 scallions, minced, white and light green parts only
  • 1 large cucumber, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
  • 1 bunch of parsley, diced
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas-if canned rinsed and drained
  • salt and pepper to taste
For the dressing
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste
 

Preparation

  1. Prepare the quinoa by combining 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until quinoa has absorbed the liquid and can easily be fluffed with a fork.
  2. Prepare the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together until smooth. Taste test and adjust seasonings if necessary.
  3. Slice the eggplants into 1/4 inch chunks (no need to peel) and lightly salt them and set aside on a dish cloth.
  4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the eggplant and chickpeas and continue to cook stirring often until eggplants begin to brown on all sides and chickpeas become lightly toasted. About 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  5. In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa with cherry tomatoes, cucumber and eggplant/chickpea mixture. Stir in the parsley and toss until well combine.  Drizzle with dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide. *Adjust measurement and ingredients as necessary.


Leave a Reply

5 thoughts on “Eggplant & Cucumber Crunch Salad

  1. Merry Warner says:

    What lovely eggplants. The tahini dressing sounds very yummy. I’ll have to look for eggplants at my farmer’s market today.

  2. Tess Danesi says:

    Going to the farm market in a few and definitely picking up the veggies to make this! I may (or may not) roast the chickpeas to up the crunch factor. Depends on if I have the patience to de-skin them. Yeah, it’s an obsession 🙂

  3. I have to admit I’m scared to cook with eggplant, after I had one turn out really bitter a few years ago. Happy to have some inspiration from an eggplant expert! This salad sounds fresh and amazing, and I can never pass up a tahini lemon dressing.

  4. francesca says:

    Colors! They make everything you make look so delicious. We’re constantly putting lemony-tahini sauce on everything over here 🙂

  5. I seriously want to be a farmer every time I visit your website. This is such a happy place. I have made so many of your recipes, and they are all incredible, and I’m sure this one is no exception. Thanks for the post!

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