Cauliflower rice salad with chickpeas and eggplant

Experience a burst of flavors with this cauliflower rice salad featuring hearty chickpeas and smoky eggplant. A perfect blend of textures and tastes.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cauliflower rice, or if you prefer, a grain of your choice (farro would be nice!)
• 1 scallion, whites and greens
• 1 cup chickpeas, either canned or freshly prepared from dried
• 1/3 bunch cilantro, or roughly 5 healthy sprigs
• 1/2 small eggplant
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup almonds, chopped or sliced
• 1/4 cup pepitas (or sunflower seeds)
• 1/2 cup iceberg lettuce, torn into small pieces*
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 1.5 tablespoons maple syrup
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Make the dressing in advance to have it ready to drizzle over the salad later. Combine mustard and maple syrup, thinning it with water to achieve a drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
2. Prepare the eggplant: You can peel the eggplant if you prefer, but leaving the skin on is fine as well.
3. Cut the eggplant into rounds that are approximately one inch thick. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add chickpeas to the same sheet. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper, and drizzle over the eggplant and chickpeas.
4. Pour the marinade over the eggplant and chickpeas and bake until the eggplant is tender, soft, and slightly browned at the edges.
5. While the eggplant and chickpeas are baking, roughly chop the scallion and cilantro. Combine them in a large bowl with cauliflower rice and iceberg lettuce.
6. Once the eggplant is cooked, chop it into bite-sized pieces while it's still warm. Add it to the bowl with cauliflower rice, scallion, cilantro, and chickpeas. Mix well.
7. Pour about a third of the dressing over the salad and toss everything together. Add more dressing according to your preference for moisture. Serve the salad warm, topped with almonds and seeds. Any leftovers can be saved for lunch the next day, perfect with an avocado on the side.

Summary:

• Calories: 1367 kcal
• Fat: 49 g
• Protein: 66 g
• Carbs: 185 g
• Potassium: 3130 mg
• Magnesium: 541 mg