2 for 1: Quinoa + Eggplant

Today is 2 for 1 day.

I had 1 lonely Italian eggplant in the fridge that was past its prime, so before it was time for tossing, I decided to make a rollatine.

No ricotta or mozzarella today, but a healthy quinoa stuffing instead.

I liked the stuffing so much, that I made extra so I could eat it as a main dish salad.

Two recipes in one day!

Grilled Eggplant Quinoa Salad or Roll-ups:

1 large Italian eggplant, sliced the long way
olive oil & kosher salt

1 cup of quinoa, cooked as per package directions
1 roasted pepper, diced
1 cup of arugula, chopped
1/4 cup of Marcona almonds, chopped
8 kalamata olives, chopped
1/3 cup of feta cheese
handful of chopped basil

dressing:
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp good olive oil
sea salt & peppa

Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and season them with kosher salt.
I let my slices sit an hour, not sure why, but I was told to do this years ago, it's supposed to get some of the moisture out.

I like to grill my eggplant slices in my grill pan. End of story.
They ALWAYS burn on my outdoor grill w/ flames licking them, but the grill pan does them perfectly everytime.

Make the salad/stuffing.
Add the quinoa and all the ingredients together.

If you are stuffing the eggplant, then lay the slices out and roll up with the stuffing.

No need to bake the roll-ups because they are already cooked.
Serve at room temperature or with fresh tomato sauce.

I still had leftover grilled eggplant slices, so I chopped them up and added them to the leftover quinoa and arugula salad!

I liked them both equally.

Healthy and delicious!