Eggplant and mushroom salad with cheese crust

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 2 small eggplants, firm, peeled, roughly diced
• 2 large tomatoes
• 400 g mushrooms, small or medium heads
• 200 g cheese (raclette), coarsely grated
• 1 onion(s)
• 100 g arugula
• 1 clove(s) garlic, chopped
• herbal salt
• pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

lukewarm salad as a main course, suitable for food combining, protein meal, vegetarian

Halve the eggplants and place them cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Grill in the oven on the grill setting at full temperature until the skin is slightly rippled and the eggplants are buttery soft (approx. 12 minutes, depending on the oven). Dice the eggplants. Peel, halve, and slice the onion. Clean the mushrooms, remove the stems, and add them whole to a hot pan with olive oil along with the onions. Fry over high heat, turning constantly, until the onions are lightly toasted and the mushrooms are cooked through (approx. 10 minutes). Season with herb salt, pepper, finely chopped garlic, and cayenne pepper. For the last 3 minutes, add the eggplant cubes to the mushroom mixture and sauté them. Turn off the heat, leave the pan on the hot plate, and spread the vegetable mixture evenly in the pan so that it lies as flat as possible. Sprinkle the coarsely grated raclette cheese over the vegetable mixture. Leave on the hot plate until the cheese has melted all over and the excess oil has formed a crust on the bottom of the pan. Clean and wash the arugula and spread it flat on two plates. Wash the tomatoes, remove the stems, halve them, and slice them, then arrange them on top of the arugula. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Remove the mushroom-crusted vegetable mixture from the pan using a spatula, spread it on the arugula and tomato salad, and serve immediately. It’s very filling and makes a complete main meal. Because the eggplants were cooked in the oven beforehand, they don’t absorb any oil, making them much lighter to eat. This way, they also absorb the flavor of the mushroom and spice mixture very well and no longer have a “shoe-sole” flavor.