Roasted Eggplant Salad with Tomato-Caper Salsa

A gorgeous make-ahead salad, just slices of roasted eggplant topped with a surprising salsa. Serve it as a substantial salad or for Meatless Monday. Low Carb & Weight Watchers Friendly!

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This recipe is so quick and easy
that I'm adding it to a special collection of easy summer recipes
published every summer since 2009.
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Our Tomato Cup Runneth Over.

We harvested one singleton tomato back in – what? June maybe?

Since then, some critter-of-the-night beat us to each slow-to-ripen, heavy-on-the-vine tomato.

So on Saturday, two bereft tomato lovers stocked up on tomatoes for the week at the farmers market. Later that very same day? A niece remembered we'd spoken longingly of tomatoes earlier in the week and delivered a bagful of home-grown tomatoes.

The Tomatoes Are Here. FINALLY.

But then? Yesterday morning?

I picked a colander-ful of grape tomatoes, tiny red and orange bites of sweet-as-candy summer fruit.

And then last night? Six large, totally ripe heirloom tomatoes.

Tomatoes, you made us wait, you made us worry. Maybe that's one reason we appreciate you so much, you're not a given, you're not to be taken for granted.

But enough sentimentality. Tis time to gorge.

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ROASTED EGGPLANT SALAD with TOMATO-CAPER SALSA

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: At least 4 hours
Makes 10 slices

EGGPLANT
• 1 large globe eggplant, cut cross-wise 3/4-inch thick
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt & pepper

TOMATO-CAPER SALSA
• 1 large perfect summer tomato, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 tablespoons capers
• 1 tablespoon caper juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

TO SERVE
• Goat cheese
• Fresh herbs – fresh mint & chive are excellent!

EGGPLANT Several hours before serving the salad, set oven to 375F/190C. With your fingers, brush eggplant slices with oil, top and bottom. Arrange slices on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 minutes, until eggplant slices are cooked and slightly creamy but still firm and intact. Let cool to room temperature. (If you refrigerate the eggplant, return to room temperature before serving.)

TOMATO-CAPER SALSA While eggplant roasts, stir together salsa ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours for the flavors to meld.

TO SERVE Arrange room-temperature eggplant slices on a platter. Top with Tomato-Caper Salsa (there may be extra). Sprinkle with goat cheese and fresh herbs. Serve immediately.

LEFTOVERS The leftover eggplant slices don't "look" so pretty the next day but stay firm and fresh.

ALANNA's TIPS The Tomato-Caper Salsa is a-m-a-z-i-n-g, totally unexpected. Could you dude it up with avocado or roasted corn? Sure. Or cubes of toasted bread, à la Panzanella? Or top it with a sliver of avocado and a couple of plump shrimp? Of course! Better yet, leave the salsa as is but serve with chips or alongside some broiled fish or with a soft egg over top. Or stir it into some cottage cheese or use it as "dressing" for lettuce greens. Dreamy good, this salsa!

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Slice: 63 Calories; 4g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 2mg Cholesterol; 98mg Sodium; 6g Carb; 3g Fiber; 3g Sugar; 2g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 2 & SmartPoints 2 & Freestyle 1 CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving = 1-1/2 slices (3g protein).

Inspired by Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi My Disclosure Promise

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More Recipes for Perfect Summer Tomatoes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more Favorite Summer Salad Recipes ~
~ more tomato recipes ~

~ Pretty Ways to Serve Summer's Best Tomatoes ~
~ Never Take a Good Tomato for Granted: Twelve Favorite Tomato Recipes ~

~ Tomato Gazpacho ~
~ Old-Fashioned Cucumber & Tomato Salad ~
~ Fattoush (Traditional Middle Eastern Salad) ~
~ more tomato recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ eggplant ~
~ tomatoes ~
~ capers ~
~ goat cheese ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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