Eggplant Feta Salad with Mint Pistachio Pesto

This is one of the easiest dishes I could think of when it comes to a quick tasty dinner when I all worn out from a long day in the hospital.....Few people are wary of eating veggies in the form of salad [I am one of them]....but this doesn't feel like salad.

All you can taste is the wonderful combination of flavours from the herbs. Each herb adds a distinct touch to each mouthful of this lovely colourful salad.

For the salad:
Eggplant [aubergine - large]: 1.
Orange capsicum: 1.
Yellow capsicum: 1.
Red onion [medium]: 1.

Mixed Italian herbs [dried thyme, basil and oregano]:  1-2 tsp.
Olive oil [chilli or garlic infused]: 1-2 tbsp.
Feta cheese [crumbled]: 2-3 tbsp.
Salt: to taste.
Rocket leaves: a handful [to garnish]

1.Slice the aubergine lengthwise [around 5mm in thickness]. Slice the red onion, orange and yellow capsicum lengthwise thinly.
2.Brush the aubergine slices with a dash of olive oil and sprinkle with some salt [just a pinch].
3.Place a grill pan [the one which has ridges on it] on medium flame and grill the aubergine slices until soft. This will take around 4-5 mins on each side. Keep warm until serving time.

5.Meanwhile place another pan on medium flame. Add 1tsp of olive oil, mixed dried herbs and a pinch of salt.
6.Add the capsicum and onion slices. Saute until slightly wilted [4-5 minutes]. Keep warm until serving time.

Mint Pistachio Pesto:
Pesto gives a wonderful fresh herby flavour to whatever dish it is being added to. This pesto is even more flavourful with mint and pistachio added to it....

Fresh basil leaves: 2 handfuls.
Fresh mint leaves: 1 handful.
Pistachio: 8-10.
Garlic pod: 1.
Red onion slices: 2-3.
Olive oil: 3-4 tbsp.
Salt : to taste.

1.Slightly dry roast the pistachio. Wash the basil and mint leaves. Slice the garlic thinly.
2.Grind the first 5 ingredients to a rough mix. Then add the olive oil and blend until almost smooth.
3.Add salt to taste and mix well.

To assemble:
Place the eggplant slice. Coat with a generous helping of the wonderful luscious green pesto. Tumble the wilted veges and onion slices. Top it up with crumbled feta and rocket leaves......and start gobbling.

Note: U can use ordinary olive oil if infused variety is not available. Add red chilli flakes to add spicy flavour to the dish.
         Be very stingy when brushing oil on the aubergine, it will appear as if the surface is dry but a thin slice can soak a tbsp of oil and appear dry.
        Just vary the ingredients to have different flavours .eg add avacados, orange segments, lettuce leaves , celery, cucumbers [in their raw form].

Sending this to Dish starts with E , an event by Akila, "Healing Foods - Eggplant" an event by Siri  guest hosted by Kavitha , "Only Salads" an event by Pari ,guest hosted by Prathibha .

My blogging buddies in this marathon: Gayathri , Priya Suresh , Jay , PJ , Ayeesha , Priya Vaasu , Srivalli , Azeema , Usha , Soumya , Monika , Veena ..... what can I say....yummy posts....

Enjoy....

Scribbled by Reva