Griddled Eggplant Salad

So simple, yet so delicious, this griddled eggplant salad is flavorful, garlicky and very much more than the sum of its few parts.

If you’ve been reading this space for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about how much I hated eggplant as a child. The texture, the flavor (or lack thereof), the ugly inside color. None of it appealed. 

Until one summer when I was introduced to homemade eggplant parmigiana, my gateway dish to loving eggplant. Now I like it all the ways! I first saved this recipe back in 2004, scribbled in a notebook while watching Nigella Lawson make it on her show Nigella Bites. Later I transferred those notes to a Word doc but I never got around to making it. 

Yep, saved for 20 years, it resurfaced recently when I search my own computer for eggplant ahead of this Sunday FunDay event. I thought I might have a recipe already made that I could use but when this popped up, I figured it was a sign that I should finally make it. Why did I wait so long! It’s lovely. And so easy! 

Griddled Eggplant Salad

This recipe is adapted from one in Nigella Bites: From Family Meals to Elegant Dinners - Easy, Delectable Recipes for Any Occasion. Extra garlic oil should be stored in a clean jar in the refrigerator. It is excellent in salad dressings or homemade mayonnaise.

Ingredients

For the garlic oil:

1/2 cup or 120ml olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely sliced

For the salad:

1 medium eggplant

2 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil, plus more to serve

2 green onions

Flakey sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lemon

Method

Slice the eggplant into circles and put them in a colander. Sprinkle the slices with salt and leave to sweat and drain for about 15-20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, finely slice the garlic and put it with the olive oil into a small pot. 

Gently heat the oil till it is warm then leave it to simmer gently for about five minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Strain out the garlic and put the oil in a clean jar to store. (I saved the garlic and added it to another dish and so should you.)

Lay the eggplant slices on paper towels and use more to dry with them. 

Place the garlic oil in a small bowl and brush it on the eggplant slices. Turn them over and brush the other side. 

Preheat the griddle or stove top grill pan and then place each eggplant slice onto the grill and press down gently. Do not crowd the pan. 

Cook about 3-4 minutes per side. 

I like to turn them so that I make hashed griddle marks. Remove the grilled eggplant slices to a platter and repeat until they are all cooked. 

Drizzle with more garlic oil. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Sprinkle on the snipped green onions.

 

Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, it’s another Sunday FunDay! We are sharing recipes with eggplant, prolific in everyone’s garden this time of year. Many thanks to our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out the links below.

• Air Fryer Eggplant Pizza (Aubergine or Brinjal Pizza) from Cook with Renu
• Brinjal and Tomato Chutney from Sneha's Recipe
• Dahi Baingan from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Eggplant Gratin from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Griddled Eggplant Salad from Food Lust People Love
• Grilled Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Burrata Platter from Culinary Cam
• Melitzanosalata (Greek Eggplant Dip) from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Szechuan Eggplant from Palatable Pastime

 

>We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Tomato Salad Topped Baked Spinach Frittata

This tomato salad topped baked spinach frittata is a delicious combination of richness from the eggs, ham and cheese and the sharp sweetness of the tomatoes with herbs. It makes a wonderful brunch, lunch or dinner dish!

Frittatas can be made on your stovetop in a skillet or baked in the oven. I created this one a while back when we were trying a low carb diet. I was craving quiche but crust was, of course, not on the plan. This frittata is basically a crustless quiche with a fancy Italian name.

You can adapt this recipe to use different cooked veggies or meat instead of the spinach and ham. Or change up the cheddar for your favorite semi-hard flavorful cheese. It’s all good.

Here’s a question for you: Am I the only one who buys ham that the family eats for two or three days and then abandons it? What do you do with it? I pop it in the freezer when it’s still in date and, while you cannot thaw it and still make decent sandwiches, it is perfect for quiche or omelets.

Tomato Salad Topped Baked Spinach Frittata

This recipe was inspired by a photo I saw in delicious.uk magazine for a ricotta tart. The mixed tomato salad that topped the tart was so pretty! Mine doesn’t have the green tomatoes because I couldn’t find any but I’m sure it is just as tasty.

Ingredients
For the frittata:
3 ounces or 85g sliced ham
2 ounces or 55g frozen spinach
4 large eggs
3/4 cup or 180ml cream
1/2 cup or 120ml milk
4 1/2 ounces or 125g sharp cheddar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
several good grinds of black pepper

To butter the baking dish or pan:
1 tablespoon butter

For baked topping:
2 oz or 57g sharp cheddar
Small handful green onion tops, chopped

For the herby salad:
1 lb or 450g mixed tomatoes, ripe but firm
Herbs of your choice  - I used a mix of flat-leaf parsley, tarragon and basil
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil
Drizzle white balsamic
Good pinch flaky sea salt
Few generous grinds of black pepper

Method
Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and liberally butter your 9 in or 23cm quiche pan or baking dish.

Fry the chopped ham in a nonstick pan until it dries out a little and gets some browned crispy place. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.

Thaw your spinach, then drain it and squeeze it as dry as possible.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream and milk. Stir in spinach and chopped basil.

 Next add the grated cheese, ham, sea salt and black pepper. Stir until well combined.

Pour the mixture into your buttered pan or dish.

Put it in the preheated oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 350°F. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until it is almost set.

Remove the frittata from the oven and sprinkle on the topping cheese and green onions.

Return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is browning and the frittata is set.

Meanwhile, slice your large tomato and set the slices on a paper towel to dry them a little. Halve the smaller tomatoes and mix them with the other salad ingredients.

When the frittata is baked, remove it from the oven and leave to cool for at least 15-20 minutes before topping it first with the sliced tomatoes.

 Finally, top with the dressed tomato salad.

Slice to serve. Enjoy!

This month my Baking Blogger friends are sharing recipes with herbs. Check out the delicious recipes below! Many thanks to our group organizer and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime for all of her behind-the-scenes work.

• Baked Spaghetti with Sausage and Meatballs from Palatable Pastime
• Ham and Herbed Potatoes Au Gratin from Making Miracles
• Herb Roasted Chickpeas from Cook with Renu
• Herbed Chicken with Charred Romaine Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• No Knead Herb Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Oven-Braised Rabbit with Herbed Dumplings from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Quiche Lorraine with Herbs from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Sage and Caramelized Onion Sourdough Bread from Caroline's Cooking
• Rosemary & Garlic Baked Potato With Sour Cream from Sneha's Recipe
• Tomato Salad Topped Baked Spinach Frittata from Food Lust People Love

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interested in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

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Grilled Zucchini Summer Salad #FoodieExtravaganza

Grilled zucchini summer salad is beautiful and tasty, the perfect plate of cheap and abundant zucchini and ripe grape tomatoes. Throw a few edamame on there for color and protein! It’s a great side dish or even main course for hot summer nights.

I’ve heard tales of zucchini patches so prolific that neighbors leave bags of produce on porches in the middle of the night, just to get rid of them. I’ve never been so lucky. It would just about make my day to come out one morning to find a free pile of zucchini on my porch! Along with their Cucurbita Pepo sibling, yellow crookneck squash, zucchini is probably my favorite summer vegetable.

If you’ve been reading this space for a while – I completely missed celebrating/mentioning my seven year anniversary in June! – you might already know that. I have so many zucchini recipes! At least a baker’s dozen, including Parmesan and Brie Topped Zucchini in a semolina crust, Zucchini-Wrapped Cheesy Pea Burgers, Baked Zucchini with Spicy Tomatoes and the not very beautiful but oh-so-tasty savory Zucchini Clafoutis.

If you are as big a fan of zucchini as I am, make sure you scroll down to the bottom of this post and check out the link list to many more delicious zucchini recipes from my Foodie Extravaganza friends.

Grilled Zucchini Summer Salad

This recipe builds on one I found originally in Jamie Oliver’s Happy Days with the Naked Chef.* I first made it in 2002 and have been adding ingredients to the zucchini, as the whim and what’s fresh take me, ever since. This recipe is easily doubled or trebled for a crowd.

Ingredients
1 large zucchini – about 8 oz or 225g
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 red chili pepper
1/2 clove garlic
Several fresh mint leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup or 55g shelled edamame (I buy these frozen and thaw.)
Small handful red grape tomatoes
Small handful yellow grape tomatoes

Method
Use a wide potato peeler to cut long strips off of the zucchini from end to end, discarding the first and last strips that are all peel.

Heat your grill pan until very hot and lay the zucchini strips on it single file, a few at a time. Watch them carefully and remove them from the pan with tongs when the grill lines become medium brown and come through to the top of the strips. No need to turn the strips over.

Arrange the grilled strips on your serving plate, making sure not to pile them on top of each other. You want them to be able to cool off. Piled together they’d just keep steaming and cooking.

When you’ve grilled all the zucchini, sprinkle them lightly with some flakey sea salt and a few good grinds of fresh black pepper.

Mince the chili pepper and garlic and mix the two together. Sprinkle them on the zucchini from a height so they don’t clump together.

Cut your grape tomatoes in half and add them to the plate. Scatter the edamame around as well. Give the whole plate a good squeeze of fresh lemon and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Top with some washed mint leaves and serve.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to this month's wonderful host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out all of the zucchini dishes we are sharing in honor of National Zucchini Day on August 8th. How will you celebrate? 

• Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Cookaholic Wife
• Greek Inspired Breakfast Casserole from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Grilled Zucchini Summer Salad from Food Lust People Love
• Sugar-Free Bread and Butter Zucchini Pickles from Palatable Pastime
• Zucchini Corn Fritters from Caroline's Cooking
• Zucchini Frittata from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Zucchini Pizza Rounds from Our Good Life
• Zucchini Sandwich Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Zucchini Stir Fry from Sneha's Recipe

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays, and we all post recipes using the same ingredient. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

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Thai Spiced Shrimp Cabbage Coleslaw

Spicy, crunchy, fresh and zingy, Thai spiced shrimp cabbage coleslaw makes a great starter for a picnic, barbecue or dinner party. That said, we enjoyed it as main course one hot summer night.

I’m finally back in Dubai and trying to get into the usual swing of things, but we are still eating a lot of salads. It remains quite hot outside although my husband keeps telling me that the worst of the summer is over. I’m sure he is right but that doesn’t stop me from rolling my eyes just a little when I walk outside and my glasses steam up.

This week my Sunday Supper group is sharing recipes for Labor Day, which in the United States always falls on the first Monday of September, marking the last weekend of summer.

This year, that weekend will actually be a holiday for us here in the United Arab Emirates as well, as the faithful celebrate Eid al Adha, or the festival of the sacrifice, which honors Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, before God intervened and provided a sheep instead. You may have heard this one before because the story shows up in the holy books of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Here it’s a reason to feast with family and friends and share with the less fortunate.

Side note: Are you curious about my wonky bowl? Your eyes do not deceive you. It’s not completely round. At Wonki Ware, a South African enterprise, every piece is handmade by potters from disadvantaged backgrounds. I received my lovely bowl as a birthday present from dear friends and usually display it as a work of art on top of a small cupboard. Occasionally it gets used as a bowl when the dish merits special treatment. This Thai spiced shrimp cabbage coleslaw qualified!

Another recipe for Salad Month
Whatever you are celebrating next weekend, I hope you try my coleslaw with an Asian twist. And don't forget to scroll down for more Labor Day menu ideas.

Thai Spiced Shrimp Cabbage Coleslaw

Ingredients
For the dressing (makes 6 3/4 oz or 200ml)
1/4 cup or 60g fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sweet Thai pepper sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1 - inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
1/4 cup or 60ml canola oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

For the shrimp cabbage coleslaw:
1 1/2-2 pounds napa cabbage, quartered, cored and very thinly sliced
4-5 sharp red radishes, sliced thinly in circles
3 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly bias-sliced green onions (4 to 6)
7-8 stems cilantro, hard stems removed, and chopped
1 small red chili pepper, finely minced
1.1 lb or 500g cooked shrimp
2/3 cup or 95g roasted, slightly salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

Method
To make the dressing: Grate your ginger and try to save the juice so you can scrape it into the dressing as well.

In a small bowl or screw-top jar, whisk or shake together the lime juice, honey, sweet Thai pepper sauce, rice vinegar and soy sauce until the honey and salt are dissolved. Add the grated ginger, canola oil and sesame oil. Shake well.

To make the shrimp cabbage coleslaw: In a very large bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrots, radishes, cucumber, green onions, chili pepper and cilantro.

Add in the cooked shrimp and pour the dressing over it all and toss to coat.

Cover the bowl with cling film or transfer the coleslaw to a sealable container. Chill until ready to serve. It gets pretty juicy as the cabbage softens so be aware when transporting it.

Toss again right before serving. Add the peanuts and sesame seeds and toss again.

Enjoy!

Check out all the lovely Labor Day menu ideas my Sunday Supper friends are sharing today! Many thanks to our event manager Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures and our host Em Beitel.

Labor Day Menu Ideas

Scrumptious Labor Day Sides and Starters

• Foil Pack Grilled Potatoes by Hardly A Goddess
• Four Bean Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs by Sunday Supper Movement
• Pasta Salad with Baby Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes by Simple and Savory
• Sausage and Peppers Salad by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Shelly’s Pasta Salad by Soulfully Made
• Sour Cream and Onion Potatoes by Cricket’s Confections
• Thai Spiced Shrimp Cabbage Coleslaw by Food Lust People Love
• Zucchini Parmesan Foil Packets by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Delicious Labor Day Entrees

• Malaysian Chicken Satay by Sprinkles and Sprouts
• Grilled Hasselback Fajita Chicken by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Maple Turkey Burger with Cheddar, Bacon and Apple by Caroline’s Cooking
• Pork Spiedini Hoagies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Sous Vide Sirloin Steak with asparagus by Our Good Life
• Sriracha Deviled Crab Sandwich with Key Lime-Bacon Slaw by Gourmet Everyday
• Tom’s BBQ Spare Ribs with North Carolina BBQ Sauce by Recipes Food and Cooking
• Vietnamese Grilled Steak Salad by Palatable Pastime

Luscious Labor Day Desserts

• Blueberry Crisp Bars by Pies and Plots
• Fudgy Brownie Trifle with Chocolate Mousse by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Watermelon Treats by The Freshman Cook

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Spicy Cucumber Chickpea Salad

Chickpeas are fabulous for absorbing seasonings when warm, which adds such flavor to dishes like this spicy cucumber chickpea salad.

It’s day 6 of my self-imposed Salad Month – a celebration of cold dishes for the heat of August, at least in the northern hemisphere. No one wants lean over a hot stove or oven when it’s sweltering outside so I'm bringing you fresh cool salad recipes all month long.

As for me, I’m on day 7 of a cross-country trip from the east coast to the west coast of the United States. My younger daughter and I started out in Massachusetts on July 30th and made our way to upstate New York (with a last minute side trip to Niagara Falls) and Ohio (with an afternoon at the State Fair),  through a small piece of Pennsylvania and on to Kansas, then Colorado (where we picked up my elder daughter) and finally, Utah. As you read this, we’ll be driving south from Moab towards the Grand Canyon. Still ahead: Las Vegas!

It’s been a heck of a trip so far. As I’ve mentioned before, my Instagram feed is always eclectic but you can check out some highlights of our trip so far there.

Spicy Cucumber Chickpea Salad

Often the simplest set of ingredients make the best recipes. That is certainly true of this salad. Unlike most of my summer salads, this does require turning the stove on but not for long, just enough to soften the garlic, onion and jalapeño for seasoning the chickpeas. It’s great with pan-fried fish or anything grilled. Best of all, it’s fabulous as leftovers so you can double the recipe and take some for lunch the next day.

Ingredients - to serve 4 as a side
1/2 small onion, sliced finely
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 (depending on how spicy you like things) fresh jalapeño, minced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 can (14oz or 400g) chickpeas, rinsed well and drained
1/2 teaspoon flakey sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2-3 small cucumbers (about oz or 300g)

Method
Sauté the vegetables in one tablespoon of the olive oil, over a low flame, until softened.

Add the chickpeas and heat until warmed through.

Sprinkle on the salt and pepper.  Add the vinegar and turn the heat up slightly. When the vinegar just begins to bubble, turn the fire off and add the rest of the olive oil.

Leave in the saucepan till cooled.

Meanwhile, cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then in half lengthwise again. Trim the soft seedy middles and discard. (Or feed to your kitchen helper. My pooch loves them.)

Cut the cucumbers into smaller pieces and put them in a bowl. Once the chickpeas are cool, pour the mixture over the cucumbers.

Stir to combine. Taste for salt, adding a bit more, if needed.

As I mentioned above, this spicy cucumber chickpea salad is great with fish or grilled meats. Or it can make a tasty lunch, just on its own. 

Enjoy!

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