A match made in heaven combo! Crispy eggplant, quinoa and lentil salad topped with chargrilled spiced lamb chops bought together with a fresh herb dressing and whipped feta. For a vegetarian option swap the lamb for halloumi.
This Week
2 Dec - 8 Dec
Roasted Eggplant Salad with Herby Dressing, Whipped Feta and Lamb Chops
- Under 1 hour
- 4
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Meal Prep Guide
Make the whipped feta.
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup of greek yoghurt
- 75g feta
- Juice of 1 small lemon
- 1 small clove of garlic (crushed)
Method:
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Store in an airtight jar or container in the fridge.
Make the herby dressing.
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup coriander (finely chopped)
- ⅓ cup mint (finely chopped)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Method:
- Simply combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake well to combine. Store in the fridge.
Cook the quinoa.
- If you’re cooking the Summer Chickpea Salad (04.) this week then cook one cup of quinoa as per packet instructions, otherwise cook ½ cup for this recipe.
Tips
Tips
- You can cook the lamb chops and grill the eggplant on the BBQ if you’d prefer.
- Make sure you rest the lamb chops after cooking for 7-10 minutes. This ensures that they stay nice and tender as the juices get absorbed back into the meat rather than being lost when cut open too early.
- If you don’t have a nutribullet you can make the whipped feta with a stick blender or you can even mash the feta with the back of a fork and then whisk together with the yoghurt and lemon it will just have more of a grainy texture but still delicious!
Shortcuts
Vegetables:
- You can swap the eggplant out for zucchini or capsicum or a combination.
- You can swap out the eggplant for roasted cauliflower.
- Swap out the baby spinach for rocket.
Protein:
- This dish works beautifully with chicken instead of lamb chops (simply pan-fry or roast in the same spices).
- It is also tasty with our Honey and Thyme Halloumi for a vegetarian option.
Other:
- Swap out the quinoa for any ancient grain.
- Swap the pine nuts for pistachios or almonds.
Ingredients
Lamb
- 10-12 lamb chops
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper
Salad
- 2 large eggplants (sliced into 1cm rounds)
- 1 red onion (cut into wedges)
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup of quinoa (un-cooked)
- 2 cups baby spinach, ⅔ bag (finely sliced)
- 400g tin brown lentils (drained and rinsed)
- 3 Tbsp toasted pinenuts
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
Herby dressing
- ⅓ cup coriander (finely chopped)
- ⅓ cup mint (finely chopped)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 small clove of garlic (crushed)
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Whipped feta
- ⅓ cup of greek yoghurt
- 75g feta
- 1 small lemon (juice)
- 1 small clove of garlic (crushed)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fan bake.
- While the oven is heating up, pop the quinoa on to cook as per packet instructions.
- Add the eggplant to a baking tray and brush with olive oil. On a separate tray add the red onion with a drizzle of olive oil. Season both trays with salt and pepper and pop in the oven to roast for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
- Add the lamb to a baking dish and sprinkle over the spices, salt and pepper. Drizzle over the olive oil and pop in the oven to roast for 20-25 minutes depending on the size of the chops. When they are nearly cooked, whack the oven onto grill and grill for the last 5 minutes to render the fat nicely.
- Whilst the veggies and lamb are in the oven prepare everything else. To make the salad dressing combine all the ingredients in a glass jar and shake well to combine.
- Pour the dressing over the lentils and cooked quinoa; allow to sit and marinate.
- To make the whipped feta, add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Once all of the elements are ready, you can assemble the salad. Firstly, add the baby spinach to the quinoa, lentil mixture and toss together. We then like to assemble the salad in layers. Start off by add a little of the quinoa, spinach, lentil mixture to the base of a large platter, add some of the roasted eggplant and onion and then repeat until you’ve used everything up. Scatter over the lamb chops, pine nuts, and pomegranate seeds if using and dollop over the whipped feta.
Variations
Vegetables:
- You can swap the eggplant out for zucchini or capsicum or a combination.
- You can swap out the eggplant for roasted cauliflower.
- Swap out the baby spinach for rocket.
Protein:
- This dish works beautifully with chicken instead of lamb chops (simply pan-fry or roast in the same spices).
- It is also tasty with our Honey and Thyme Halloumi for a vegetarian option.
Other:
- Swap out the quinoa for any ancient grain.
- Swap the pine nuts for pistachios or almonds.
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