Chicken and Eggplant Salad

 Ingredients:

eggplant, sliced, salted, and squeezed
oil
1 tablespoon 5 spice (optional)
vegan chicken chunks
bibb or boston leaf lettuce, roughly chopped
small cucumbers, chopped
green onions, chopped
cilantro, chopped
1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice syrup
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
juice of 1 small lime
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
sesame seeds, toasted

Brush the eggplants with some sesame or peanut oil and sprinkle with five spice if desired. Roast or grill until golden. Set aside.

Meanwhile grill or roast the vegan chicken chunks until cooked through. Set aside.


Arrange lettuce onto serving plates and top with the herbs. Evenly distribute the cucumbers and red chili slices.

Combine dressing ingredients. 

Top the salad with eggplant and chicken pieces and drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with the sesame seeds before serving (optionally, with a wedge of lime)

Turkish Eggplant Salad

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, cut into slices
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 large lemon
1/2 teaspoon isot pepper
1 teaspoon sumac
salt, to taste

Salt the eggplant and squeeze the liquid. Brush with oil, salt, and paprika and roast in the oven at 425 until golden. Remove from heat and set aside to cool, then cut into quarters.

Combine bell pepper, onion, and parsley with the eggplant in a bowl. Toss with the remaining dressing ingredients.

Sephardic Eggplant Salad

Ingredients:

3 eggplants
4 green onions
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons oregano
2 cups parsley
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 large tomatoes,
2 tablespoons capers, drained
pita chips

Cut slits into eggplants and roast over open fire. Allow to cool and remove skins. Chop into 3/4 inch cubes. Refrigerate.

Meanwhile, combine green onion, oregano, half the parsley, vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil in a food processor or blender and blend together until smooth. Set aside.

Chop the remaining parsley and dice the tomatoes. Toss in a bowl with the eggplant and capers. Serve with the dressing and pita chips.