These Date Stuffed Eggplants with Barley, Chickpea, are an elegant choice for an evening meal, and surprisingly simple to cook in your kitchen. Barley, chickpeas, and dates are wed with onion, tomato, and parsley for the stuffing, while a unique cinnamon-chili dressing offers a flavorful finish. Roasted eggplant makes a great melt-in-your-mouth base for this spiced combination. This recipe from Coconut and Berries yields 2 to 4 servings, plus some extra salad.
Ingredients:
Barley, Chickpea, and Date Salad:
- 1½ cups cooked chickpeas
- ½ cup barley
- 6 Medjool dates, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ red onion, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley or coriander
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 medium eggplants
- Olive oil
- Salt
Directions: For the salad: Cook the barley according to package instructions. Add to a mixing bowl along with the cooked chickpeas, halved cherry tomatoes, red onion, and dates.
In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well to coat everything. Stir through the chopped herbs. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to come together.
baheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Halve eggplants and make deep crisscross score marks in the flesh with a knife. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Place, cut side down, in a roasting pan and cook for 35 to 45 minutes, or until very soft. Remove from oven and pile the salad on top. Serve with toasted pita wedges and non-dairy yogurt.
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