Grilled Eggplant and Artichoke Salad

This may not be true to all those with PKU, but I feel like most of us grew up eating french fries and salad when eating out at restaurants. Those were definitely my go-to choices, and my “safe” foods when I ate out. The first few times I ate at Carraba’s Italian Grill I used to get this salad with roasted eggplant on it. I don’t remember the name of the salad or what else it had on it, but I just remember really loving it and enjoying the warmth of the cooked eggplant on the salad. It was that salad that inspired me to make this Grilled Eggplant and Artichoke Salad.

This recipe is pretty straight forward. You can use whole artichokes or halved artichokes. If you buy whole artichokes you just need to cut them in half before grilling the artichokes. I used a large frying pan and grilled both the eggplant and the artichokes at the same time. The eggplant does take longer to grill, so start with those first then add the artichokes a few minutes later. Once they are done cooking, you just add everything on top of the salad and top with dressing and you’re good to go! It’s a pretty simple salad, but very delicious.

I used red wine vinegar for the dressing, but you could easily use white wine vinegar if you strongly prefer that one. I feel like salad would also taste good with a raspberry vinaigrette, but I didn’t realize that until after I ate the salad. I feel like olive oil is the superior oil to use for salad dressings, but it just doesn’t refrigerate and I like my salad dressings cold. But if you are okay with room temperature dressing, definitely use olive oil! I hope you all enjoy this yummy salad. What are your favorite salads from restaurants or just your favorite salad toppings? Leave in the comments below ⬇️

Ingredients:

Salad:

Eggplant 50 g

3 Artichoke hearts half 75g

1 cup Lettuce -- recommend mixed lettuce or butter leaf

Red onion 20g

½ tsp Garlic powder

½ tsp basil

Salt

Pepper

2 tsp olive oil

Serving Size: 1/2 salad

Servings per recipe: 2

Phe per serving: 76 mg

Dressing:

Red Wine Vinaigrette

1 cup Vegetable Oil or Olive Oil*

¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar

⅛ cup Water

½ Shallot 5g

2 cloves Garlic

¼ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Pepper

½ tsp Basil

*If you want to refrigerate your dressing, use vegetable oil, but if you want it at room temperature, olive oil is best. Olive oil does not refrigerate.

Serving Size: 2 Tbsp

Servings per recipe: 5

Phe per serving: 0mg

Directions:

Salad

Prepare your vegetables: Slice the eggplant, you will only need about 4-5 slices ¼” thick. If you are using whole artichokes, cut them in half. Cut the red onion into dice sized pieces.
Using am oiled large frying pan or two small ones to cook vegetables separately, grill the artichokes and eggplants on medium heat. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and basil onto vegetables.
Cook the artichokes for 5-8 minutes, then flip them. Cook the eggplant for 8-10 minutes then flip them.
Continue to let the artichokes and eggplant cook for another 3-5 minutes.
Plate the salad: add lettuce to your plate, followed by the eggplant, artichoke, and red onion.
Top with Red Wine Vinaigrette. Serve and enjoy!

Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

Finely chop shallot, mince garlic, and chop basil if using fresh basil (can also use dried basil).
Using a mason jar, or other small salad dressing container, add red wine vinegar followed by water, and shallot, garlic, and basil. Gently shake.
Add oil and shake well. If using vegetable or canola oil, put it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before using.