Roasted Eggplant & White Bean Salad

Haven't you heard? It's Fiber February, which means I'll be sharing a new fiber-based series for the next five days for you to enjoy. As your favorite gut health dietitian, I wanted to brainstorm a series that not only provides you with fiber-based recipes, but recipes that are approachable and easy to make.

Quick educational recap: Fiber comes our plant-based sources of foods, our fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts/seeds. Our bodies do not digest fiber, so when fiber reaches the colon undigested, the trillions of bacteria that live in our gut microbiome will ferment the fiber and produce compounds called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These play a key part in our gut health, but also our overall health and well being. SCFAs have a role in our immunity, inflammatory responses, and digestive health. Beyond our gut health, fiber helps support regularity (aka making sure you're going) and promotes satiety, ensuring you stay fuller for longer.

So, for this Fiber February, I created my new series called, "Five Fibers, One Dinner". Since there are five different categories of fiber --

1. Fruits

2. Vegetables

3. Legumes

4. Whole grains

5. Nuts/seeds

I wanted to create five dinners that each contain all five fiber groups. For the next five days, you'll be provided a new dinner recipe that contains a fruit source, a vegetable source, a grain source, a legume source, and either a nut or seed. Of course I'm also focusing on other macronutrients, such as healthy fats and protein, to ensure you have a fully balanced meal. Oh, and let me not forget to mention that each day will be completely different sources of fiber, there will be no repeats! By Friday, you will have obtained 5 new dinner recipes and almost 32 different sources of fiber.

This is my way of teaching you that incorporating a diverse range of fiber within your day to day is possible. I want to teach you how to be more intentional about building balanced meals and being aware of the fact that all of these plant sources provide your body with more health benefits than you realize. Let's get more creative in the kitchen, shall we?

Our 4th recipe of this five-day series: Roasted Eggplant & White Bean Salad

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This recipe was definitely an accidental ode to my Syrian roots. I've realized over time that you really are your ethnic roots -- you can't escape them! This is my Roasted Eggplant & White Bean Salad, dairy free and vegetarian, it's one of the easiest recipes I've made in this series.

As the base of the recipe is bulgur. Bulgur is a cracked, partially pre-cooked whole grain and a staple in Syrian cuisine. Because it’s minimally processed, it retains more nutrients than refined grains. It’s naturally high in fiber (over 30% of the daily value) and a good source of magnesium, manganese, and iron. Regularly eating bulgur may support heart health, blood sugar control, and gut health—and it’s incredibly easy to incorporate into your diet.

Along with the bulgur, you have pomegranate, cannellini beans, eggplant, dried figs, walnuts, and parsley -- all ingredients you would definitely see my Syrian grandma's kitchen. The blend of earthy eggplant, sweet dried figs and pomegranate, and crunchy walnuts makes for the perfect salad to impress your guests or elevate any everyday meal.

If you're trying to incorporate more fiber, color, and/or micronutrients into your daily routine, this is the salad for you. It's easily meal-preppable and customizable. Want to add more protein? Simply top the salad with chicken, tofu, or shrimp. Want to add more vegetables? Add cucumber, celery, or tomatoes. This series is all about teaching you how to diversify your palate and show you that plant-based eating can be this delicious. Let's get to it.

Here are the details:

1. Fruit: Pomegranate and dried figs 

2. Vegetable: Eggplant 

3. Legume: Cannellini beans

4. Whole grain:  Bulgur 

5. Nut/seed: Walnuts 

Yields: 1

Portion: 1 bowl

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

This recipe is dairy free and vegetarian. It can be easily vegan without the addition of the honey in the dressing.

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Ingredients:

½ eggplant, cubed

¼ cup bulgur

½ cup drained and rinsed canned cannellini beans

½ cup pomegranate arils

4 dried figs, finely chopped

3 tbsp finely diced fresh parsley

¼ cup walnuts, finely chopped

Dressing (for 1 bowl):

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tbsp honey

½ tsp dried mint

½ tsp lemon pepper

Salt, to taste

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Instructions:

1. Prep eggplant: slice the eggplant in half, and place them onto a clean surface. Salt well. After 20 minutes, pat the eggplant dry with a towel/paper towel to remove the excess moisture. Chop into cubes. Add to a bowl, drizzle on olive oil, season with salt and black pepper to taste. Mix well.

   
   

2. Bake eggplant: on a baking sheet with parchment paper, add on eggplant cubes. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer to ensure even cooking. Bake for 30 minutes or until eggplant is golden brown and flesh is soft.

   
   

3. Prep bulgur: Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place the bulgur in a large bowl with salt and boiling water. Cover the bowl tightly with saran wrap and let sit for 15-30 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Let cool, then fluff with a fork.

   
   

4. Prep other produce: have cannellini beans, pomegranate arils, dried figs, fresh parsley, and walnuts prepped.

   
   

5. Make dressing: mix together extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, honey, dried mint, lemon pepper, and salt. Mix well to ensure dressing is consistent.

   
   

6. Assemble & serve: in a serving bowl, add in bulgur, pomegranate seeds, cannellini beans, dried figs, parsley, walnuts, and eggplant. Pour on the dressing. Mix well. Taste and adjust for salt. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

• Switch bean: Instead of cannellini beans, you can use chickpeas or red kidney beans.

• Grain options: You can opt for quinoa, farro, or wild rice here instead of bulgur if you don't have access to it. Those options would make most sense flavor wise.

• Make it spicy: Add red pepper flakes or harissa to the recipe if you would like.

• Dairy additions: I was actually going to add halloumi cubes to this recipe but I ran out. Halloumi would work incredibly here.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I did, so if you do, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I always read through my suggestions and comments, so please let me know your thoughts. If you have any questions you can feel free to DM me here or through Instagram. Speaking of Instagram - please tag me in all of your creations! I love seeing how the recipes come out and seeing how talented you all are. Sending my love.

xoxo,

Jasmin D the RD