Bulgur Salad with Spiced Eggplant

This dish is a riff off of a recipe from Bon Appetit, which serves the eggplant as a main course and the bulgur on the side. I love to make it as a hearty salad I can take for lunch during the week, served with a dollop of tangy plain yogurt on the side.

Bulgur is a super healthy and super easy grain to prepare. All it requires is a splash of hot water and some soaking time. You can find it in the bulk section of most supermarkets.

Recipe Substitutions:

• In lieu of roasting the eggplant, I cube and saute it in the same spices as the recipe, which cuts down on the cooking time and makes for a cooler kitchen in the hot summer months.
• Instead of pricey pistachios, I toast slivered almonds.
• I dice up shallots to toss in, rather than red onion, as raw onion can tend to overwhelm any recipe.
• Preserved lemon peel can easily be subbed out for fresh lemon zest.

The veggie, legume and herb combos for this bulgur-based dish are nearly endless! Dream up a tasty sounding combo and make it your own!