Aubergine Salad

I love aubergines. I know their taste can be challenging a bit, but if you cook them properly they are just plain awesome! Full of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre and with the potential to lower cholesterol and help manage weight, aubergines are a great choice for salads, stews and beyond.

Aubergines are:

• an excellent source of dietary fibre. They are also a good source of vitamins B1 and B6 and potassium. In addition it is high in the minerals copper, magnesium and manganese.
• rich in antioxidants, specifically nasunin found in aubergine skin – which gives it its purple colour. A potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger, nasunin has been found to protect the lipids (fats) in brain cell membranes.
• high in fibre and low in fat and therefore recommended for those managing type 2 diabetes or managing weight concerns.

Ingredients:

(Yields approx. 6 portions)

• 4 medium size aubergines
• sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• fresh parsley, to serve
• 1 medium size onion, finely minced
• 1-2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
• olive oil or mayonnaise

How To:

Poke the aubergines with a knife several times and simply roast them until the peel gets slightly burned and the flesh is soft. Roasting aubergine can be done in several ways, depending on how you like to roast your veggies: on a hot stove, on an open flame, on the BBQ, on hot coals or in the oven.  Roughly, for a medium sized aubergine, it should take around 30 to 45 minutes in a hot oven at 200C. What is important is to turn the aubergines on all sides to ensure even cooking and, as previously mentioned, to poke it with a fork before cooking it, to let the steam and juices out. You don’t want an exploded aubergine in your oven…trust me I tried that and it present
s no fun in cleaning :-).Once it’s done, place it in a bowl, put salt on top of the roasted aubergines to soften the skin and leave it covered for 10 to 15 minutes. Keeping it like this will help to peel it more easily. Once peeled, chop it finely, put it in a colander and let the juice flow out.Using a wooden spoon, mix the finely chopped aubergines with the onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper. If you use olive oil, then add it bit by bit, mixing continuously. If you use mayonnaise mixed it slowly as well. Do not over do it with neither of them. You want to still taste the aubergine and not the oil or mayonnaise. Sprinkle chopped parley on top and you are good to go.Serve with freshly backed bread, baguette or slice up veggies and dig in!Enjoy.