Roasted Eggplant Salad with Goat Cheese & Almonds and Spicy Garlic Salmon

Christmas vacation is essentially a week of mental health days. My mental health requires that I lay in bed until 10 am, internally debate whether or not to shower, opt out of showering, putz around online for a dinner recipe, then drag myself to the store to get the necessary ingredients. That was really the biggest accomplishment of the day. Luckily, the other girls around the house didn’t judge me for the not showering...or not wearing matching socks.

Eggplant in it’s everyday form and flavor doesn’t really bring much to the table. But roast it and cover it in spice and sauce, and it’s a whole different animal. I think I over-served myself on the eggplant at dinner. I guess there are worse things.

Pre-baked, covered in a spiced glaze. Note to self, grease tin foil before adding eggplant. Those little cubes hung on tight by the end. This recipe came from The Kitchn.

Drench in Dijon garlic love, and bake. Salmon recipe adapted from Allrecipes.

Roasted Eggplant with Goat Cheese & Almonds

2 large eggplants, about 2 pounds
Kosher salt
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup flat parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled and divided
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions

Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes and put in a large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and set aside while making the marinade.

Whisk together the olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, smoked paprika, and cumin. Dab away any extra water that has beaded up on the eggplant and toss with the marinade. Stir in the garlic. Spread the eggplant on a large baking sheet, lined with parchment and slide onto a rack placed in the center of the oven. Roast at 400°F for 40 minutes, or until very tender and slightly browned. (Stir every 15 minutes and check after 30 minutes to make sure it isn't burning.) Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

Whisk together the lemon juice and soy sauce. Return the eggplant to the bowl and toss with the lemon juice mixture. Stir in the parsley leaves, smoked almonds, and most of the goat cheese, reserving a little.

Spread the finished salad in a serving bowl and sprinkle the reserved goat cheese crumbles and scallions on top.

Spicy Garlic Salmon

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
2 (6 ounce) wild caught salmon fillets

Preheat oven to 400. Lay salmon in baking dish covered with tin foil. Whisk first 7 ingredients together in a bowl and spread over fish. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until fish flakes when pressed with a fork.