Roasted Eggplant & Pepper Salad

Directions

1. Position oven rack in top third of oven and preheat to high. Grease a large heavy baking sheet (nonstick vegetable oil spray works well).

2. Clean eggplants and peppers.

3. Cut eggplants into 3 x ¾ x ¾ inch strips.  Put in a large bowl.

4. Cut peppers into ½ inch wide strips.  Add to eggplant.

5. Peel garlic and add cloves to the bowl along with the olive oil. Toss until everything is well mixed and coated with oil.

6. Transfer veggies to prepared baking sheet.

7. Bake until eggplant is brown and vegetables are tender (about 50 minutes) stirring every 10 minutes so nothing sticks or burns (reduce heat if necessary).

8. Remove veggies from the oven. Remove the garlic cloves and reserve.

9. Scrape vegetables and all pan juices into a large bowl.

10.   Combine vinegar, cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne in blender.

11.   Peel roasted garlic; add to blender.

12.   Puree until smooth. (If you don’t have a blender, mince or press the garlic and shake dressing in a jar to blend).

13.   Toss vegetable mixture with ¼ c of the garlic dressing.

 

Notes: This can be made 1 day ahead of when you want to serve it.  Cover and chill the vegetables and dressing separately.  Bring to room temperature before serving.  To serve, mound salad on lettuce in center of a large platter.  Serve with bread. 

 

Substitutions: Red and Green peppers mixed/Any assortment of peppers. Red wine vinegar/Any vinegar. Cumin/Coriander seed (ground).