Eggplant with Red Lentil Salad

I didn't want to turn on the oven, but this felt like a great meal for August.  It isn't exactly a stuffed eggplant, which would be a fully baked dish.  It's roasted eggplant with the lentil mixture spooned over, and could be eaten cold as well as hot.

I definitely need to make this again.  The eggplant acted like "steak".  A roasted portobello mushroom would also work, or a zucchini boat.  Fish or chicken would be a good base as well.  The tahini dressing makes everything tangy and gives heft to a very light dish.

2 medium eggplant
1 C red lentils
*2-3 green onions, finely chopped
1 C finely chopped parsley
1 C finely chopped cilantro
1/4 C olive oil, plus a little for the eggplant
*2 Tb tahini paste
*3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
2 Tb lemon juice

1.  Preheat the oven to 375º.  Cut off the caps of the eggplants and split down the middle.  I chose to scoop out some of the insides and roast it separately to make baba ghannouj on the side, but it isn't necessary.  Rub all sides lightly with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast until easily pierced by a fork, about 30-40 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

2.  While the eggplant is cooking, rinse the lentils well until the water runs mostly clear.  Simmer in water to cover by one inch until split but not mushy, about 15 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

3.  Chop onions, parsley, and cilantro and add to the lentils in a bigger bowl than you think you need.  Herbs are fluffy.

4.  Whisk together oil, tahini, minced garlic, salt, and lemon juice.  Add a tablespoon of hot water if needed to thin.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

5.  Add dressing to the lentil and herb mixture and toss to coat evenly.  At this point, everything can be chilled to serve cold or plated to serve warm-ish or room temperature.

6.  Plate one half roasted eggplant per serving and spoon over 1/4 of the salad for each.  Serve at desired temperature.

Difficulty rating  π