Eggplant Salad

Seth brought home the other day an eggplant and chile peppers from a co-worker’s garden. So tonight for dinner I made our favorite eggplant salad. This dish makes my mouth water. It’s so yummy, fresh and easy to make. Grilled vegetables work best so it’s ideal for summer or the winding-down warm evenings.

Grilled Eggplant Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
Dressing:1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce

1 tablespoon minced seeded Thai, hot red, or serrano chile

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salad:12 cherry tomatoes, quartered

12 (1/2-inch-thick) slices eggplant (about 2 pounds)

1/4 teaspoon salt, divided

Cooking spray

6 (1/2-inch-thick) slices red onion

1/4 cup torn mint leaves

1/4 cup torn basil leaves

To prepare dressing, combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.
Prepare grill or broiler.
To prepare salad, combine tomatoes and dressing, and set aside. Sprinkle eggplant with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Place eggplant on a grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 5 minutes on each side or until eggplant is done. Remove eggplant from grill rack or pan; set aside. Sprinkle onion with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Place onion on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook for 5 minutes on each side or until onion is tender.
Arrange eggplant and onion slices on 6 plates. Top with tomato mixture; sprinkle with mint and basil.