Can you say FARM FRESH?! Every vegetable in this salad is made with delicious local produce. It is still that time of year where you can find tons of locally grown fruits and veggies at the farmer's market. Make sure you take advantage of this while you still can!
In my farm share, I received yellow beets and Chinese eggplant. To be honest with you, at first I was a bit intimidated by the eggplant as it looked like a small purple snake. I decided to pan fry it in a little olive oil and it tastes just like the eggplant I know and love!
Beets can be a bit daunting to cook, but I've found the easiest way to make them is to roast them. You just drizzle a little olive oil on them and wrap them up in aluminum foil. Then you place them in a pan in the oven at 425 degrees for 40-45 minutes. When you take them out the skin slides right off and they are perfectly tender.
Another component of this dish is balsamic glaze. I used to use store bought balsamic glaze until I realized it had some weird ingredients in it and added sugar. I then discovered I could make my own balsamic glaze at home with no extra ingredients. You just put pure balsamic vinegar in a pot on the stove and bring it to a boil. Once it's bubbling you turn it down to low and let it simmer until it's reduced to half. (Should take 15-20 minutes.)
There are SO many superfoods in this recipe- the eggplant, the tomatoes, the beets. Here are a couple previous recipes if you want to find out any of the health benefits of these wonderful veggies. Eggplant "Meat' Balls, Super Protein Salad.
Ingredients:
2 Chinese eggplants or 1/2 of a regular eggplant- diced
2 tomatoes- diced
4 beets- roasted and diced (use the above directions)
1/2 cup feta- cubed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (Make the glaze according to the above directions)
3 tbsp olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees and roast the beets as directed.
2) Meanwhile, dice or slice the eggplant and pan fry in a skillet with olive oil over medium high heat. Add salt/pepper to taste.
3) To prepare the dish, add diced beets, eggplant, diced tomatoes, and feta to a serving dish.
4) Drizzle on the balsamic glaze and olive oil. Add salt/pepper to taste
ENJOY!