Warm Eggplant and Tomato Salad

This summer is absolutely flying by! I mean I have been so busy, I feel as if I blinked, and boom here August is over half way through. What?! I can't even. From spending a lazy week at home on Long Island, to a weekend trip up to Rochester, to a weekend in NYC, to two weekends in Dewey, and finally back to LI this weekend I am one happy traveler. The beach has been my friend this summer and my tan is not complaining. But with all the beach bumming about, I have neglected my cooking and with that my blogging. This weekend was a lazy weekend staying in town that included just a bit of cooking. A girl does have to eat at some point.

As I am preparing for my second go around at Whole 30 in September, I'm trying to clean up my eating a bit so it isn't such a shock to the system. Therefore, I went with a gluten free, dairy free dinner using the freshest ingredients possible. My good friends the Crandall's gifted me with a gorgeous heirloom tomato when I stopped by there house the other evening. With an eggplant in the other hand, I immediately craved eggplant parmesan. But alas, that would not be clean eating. I had a day dream of a deconstructed eggplant parm I made a few years back and through that thought process came to this salad. I used almond meal and coconut flour to coat the eggplant to make a crisp outside. I kept the tomatoes au natural and sliced thick with a touch of salt and pepper. I left off the cheese, made a homemade balsamic to dress the greens, added a few cubes of leftover sautéed eggplant and chopped tomatoes and that was all she wrote. Paired it all with a dreamy fruit forward chardonnay from Mattebella Vineyards (which I so luckily brought back with me from home, aka The North Fork of Long Island, aka the new hot spot where everyone and their hipster best friend are vacationing).

Winery Visit!

My mom and I visited Mattebella in July and I chose their white flight. This chardonnay stood out to me with its crisp clean taste and floral nose. It is the perfect summer wine to enjoy on a hot evening. If you are one of those crazy hipsters visiting the end of the island, I highly recommend a tasting at Mattebella. The atmosphere is beautiful, the staff knowledgeable, and the wine is on point (no they did not pay me to say that, actually no one has ever paid me to review and I do so often hmmm maybe there's something there, ha).

Warm Eggplant and Tomato Salad
1 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/2 in thick rounds
1/3 cup coconut flour
1 egg, beaten and whisked with 1 tbsp. of water
1 cup almond meal
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. parsley, dried
1/2 tsp. oregano, dried
1/4 tsp. dill, dried
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil for frying
1 heirloom tomato, sliced thick
Salad greens
Balsamic Dressing (olive oil, balsamic, honey, dijon mustard, S&P)

Place the coconut flour in a shallow dish or plate, the egg in a shallow bowl, and the almond meal mixed with spices (garlic, parsley, oregano, dill, and S&P) on a separate plate. Heat olive oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. . Working in batches, place one slice of eggplant in coconut flour, being sure to coat completely, then dip in egg wash, then coat with almond meal mixture. Then fry eggplant for about 4 minutes each side. While you continue to cook the eggplant in batches, place cooked eggplants on a cookie sheet and place in 300 degree oven. This will help keep them warm, crispy, and continue to cook the insides. Be careful not to burn the outsides when frying. If they are golden crisp on the outside, the oven will help the middle cook through.
Place salad greens in a large bowl. Lightly dress with balsamic and toss with some cubed eggplant (sautéed with olive oil) and cubed tomatoes. Then stack the warm eggplant and sliced heirloom tomatos and drizzle with more dressing. Add glass of wine and serve!!!!

Post your favorite fall foods that you would like to see blogged! Don't forget to hashtag #OneRecipeAtATime if you try any of my recipes! I would love to see your creations! Much love :)