Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Za'atar Fried Eggplant

• Vegan
• Gluten free

• Produce

  • 1 cup Chickpeas, cooked or canned
  • 1 cup Dill
  • 1 Eggplant, large
  • 1/2 English cucumber
  • 1 Garlic cloves
  • 1 cup Parsley
  • 1 Red onion, small
  • 3 Roma tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp Za'atar
  • 1 Lime, Juice of large

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 Salt
  • 1 Salt/pepper

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1 Canola oil
  • 1/3 cup Olive oil, Extra Virgin

Found on themediterraneandish.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, thinly sliced (no more than ¼ inch in thickness)
• Salt
• Canola oil for frying
• 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, drained
• 3 tbsp Zaatar, divided
• 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
• ½ English cucumber, diced
• 1 small red onion, sliced in ½ moons
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 1 cup chopped dill
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large lime, juice of
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt+Pepper

Directions

• Place the sliced eggplant on a large tray and sprinkle generously with salt. Let it sit for 30 minutes, (The eggplant will sweat out its bitterness as it sits.)
• Now line another large tray or baking sheet with a paper bag topped with paper towel and place it near the stove.
• Pat the eggplant dry. Fill a large skillet about half way with canola oil. Heat on medium-high until the oil begins to gently bubble. Now fry the eggplant in the hot oil in batches (do this carefully and do not crowd the skillet). When the eggplant slices turn golden brown on one side, turn over and fry on the other side. Remove the eggplant slices with a slotted spatula and arrange them on the paper towel-lined tray to drain and cool. Once cooled, assemble the eggplant on a sided serving dish. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp of Zaatar.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, red onions, parsley and dill. Add the remaining Zaatar, and mix gently.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Drizzle 2 tbsp of the salad dressing over the fried eggplant; pour the remaining dressing over the chickpea salad and mix.
• Add the chickpea salad to the serving dish with the fried eggplant. Serve with pita bread and other sides likehummus or baba ganoush.