Turmeric tales and tasty veggies

Batten down the hatches boys; she got her hands on the turmeric again. No, I’m just kidding..kind of.
You know, I’ve never been one to malign vegetables or healthy food, but I think that’s exactly what’s happened here. I don’t dive into cooking with certain vegetables the way I do with others (or anything, frosted, sprinkled, rolled, yeasted, basted, braised and grilled (: ) I get tired of trying to convince skittish eaters that they will NOT die immediately from ingesting I dunno, say an Eggplant, that I mentally file those ideas in the way back of my brain and then they become accidentally forgotten. And it’s a shame really, because if I had more of this Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley Salad right now, I’d eat it until I couldn’t- but it seems I’ve already done that.
I was salad inspired yesterday after I got the pleasure of spending my lunch hour with the ladies of Christian Women’s Job Corps going over details of the upcoming semester and of course our Magnolia Tea and Auction – that if you don’t have tickets to, you really ought to! Again, I veer to tangents. I swear, sometimes I wonder how I ever get to my point!! We had a literal cornucopia of salads that sent me home wanting more. I had an eggplant in my crisper that was giving me the saddest look when I opened the fridge (see: lost puppy or neglected kid) that I decided right then and there- Eggplant Salad! Eureka!
It’s delicious, divine really- but ladies (gentlemen readers: avert eyes now) we are going to have to work together and call this something else, or one of two things will happen. 1. No man/or child in this county is going to eat this 2. We will wither away before we actually win the “ you will not die from eating vegetables” conversation.  I mean for crying out loud it’s made with eggplant that’s been fire roasted — enough said. It can be served as a side dish, but then again I just polished off a bowl BY MYSELF, so some may call it a main course. I like this salad served cold or room temperature with pita bread or flat bread or crusty French bread…or a spoon.
Eggplant haters: Please expand your mind. All I am saying is: “Give Eggplant a chance.”
Cubes of zucchini are roasted until nicely caramelized, all the while pearled barley is absorbing spicy broth, and then two are tossed together with red onion,  olives, fresh mint, parsley, cherry tomatoes and mixed with a lemon vinaigrette. Hearty, healthy and so much more complex in flavor than one comes to expect from *Eeeek* whole grain salads! LOL, I am pretty sure we’ll be coming back to this all year. I have done you a disservice by not mentioning this scrumptious little salad before, as you could have already eaten it twice! Maybe even four times! Tsk-tsk. I assure you, a lesson has been learned.

Here is my recipe for Mediterranean Eggplant Salad. Please make it and eat it in good health.

Mediterranean Eggplant Salad

Makes 4 (main course) or 8 (side dish) servings
1 1/2 lb. eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3/4 lb. zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1cupchoppedscallion
 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (not so much if you aren’t crazy about spicy)
1 1/4 cups pearl barley (8 oz.)

1 (14-oz) can reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
(1 3/4 cups)
3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon roasted garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 lb. cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/3 cup olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, rinsed and drained if desired
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3/4 cup chopped fresh mint
Add a little sprinkle of Feta cheese if you’re feeling feisty
Roast eggplant and zucchini: Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
Toss eggplant and zucchini with 5 tablespoons oil,Turmeric, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl, then spread in 2 oiled large shallow (1 inch-deep) baking pans. Roast vegetables in oven, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through baking, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes total. Combine vegetables in 1 pan and cool, reserving other pan for cooling barley.
Cook barley: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook scallion, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add barley and cook, stirring until well coated with oil, 2 minutes more. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all of liquid is absorbed and barley is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Transfer to reserved shallow baking pan and spread to quickly cool, uncovered, to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
Make dressing and assemble salad: Whisk together or use a blender:
Lemon juice, garlic, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add barley, roasted vegetables, and remaining ingredients to bowl with dressing and toss until combined well.