I made this delightfully nourishing salad for lunch today, and couldn’t wait to hop on here and share the recipe.  This salad came together quickly with some leftover hummus from a previous take-out dinner and a stockpile of my last batch of meal-prepped eggplants from my very productive plant.  This salad is healthy and filling, fresh and creamy, and has all of the satisfying flavor notes that I need in a lunch.

If you don’t have all of the ingredients listed in the recipe below, here are some good swaps to make an awesome version of this with what you have on hand:

• Salad Greens: Any mix will do!  Arugula, baby spinach, or baby kale are all good subs if you don’t have any lettuce or salad mixes on hand.
• Fresh Tomatoes: Swap with sundried or replace with your favorite olives.
• Grilled Eggplant: Swap with baba ghanoush or skip entirely.  The salad will still be good without it!  If you want to make a batch of my grilled eggplant to fully make this recipe, follow the link to that recipe here!
• Hummus: Canned chickpeas, crispy chickpeas, or falafel would all be awesome replacements.  Any canned bean would work here as a protein source, this salad is not chickpea exclusive. Drizzle a little extra tahini over the top for that creamy, hummus-y vibe, if you have it.  No beans or not a bean fan? Use feta cheese instead!
• Balsamic Vinegar: Rice wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or a squeeze of lemon would all work great!

Serve this salad as is for a light lunch, or pair with a pita or flatbread for a more filling meal.  Top with additional protein sources (chicken or steak would be great here, or add some feta) to make this a great dinner salad. 

Recipe down below, photo up top!  I ate this all as one big serving of salad, so feel free to scale up for additional servings!

Mediterranean Salad with Grilled Eggplant and Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of salad greens
• 6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3-4 grilled eggplants, or about ½ of a cup (diced)
• ⅓ cup of hummus
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 pinch of flakey (Maldon) salt, or any salt

Method:

1. Add salad greens (washed and dried, if necessary) to a plate or to-go lunch container.
2. Wash and dry cherry tomatoes, and slice each tomato in half.  Add tomato halves to the salad on top of the lettuce.
3. Chop grilled eggplant into large, bite-sized pieces.  Add eggplant pieces on top of the lettuce in the salad.
4. Place the hummus in the center of the salad, on top of the lettuce.
5. Drizzle the entire salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with salt.
6. Grab a fork and enjoy!