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Side shot of Middle Eastern Salad Bowl
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5 from 2 votes

Middle Eastern Salad Bowl

(Both Baba Ganoush and Zhoug could be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator up to a week)
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keyword: middle eastern salad
Servings: 2
Author: Julia Frey of Vikalinka

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp ras el hanout
  • 3 cups salad greens
  • 4 radishes
  • 1/4 cup / 130g cucumber thinly sliced
  • 1 blood orange
  • sesame seeds

For the pomegranate vinaigrette

For the baba ganoush

  • 2 eggplants/aubergines medium
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.tahini
  • 1 lemon juice of
  • 1-2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
  • salt
  • 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.smoked paprika

For the zhoug

  • 3 green chillies
  • 1½ cups / 25g cilantro 1 small bunch ; leaves and stalks
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom ground (optional)
  • 1/2 lemon juice of
  • 2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil

Instructions

For the Baba Ganoush

  • Set your oven to a broil/grill mode on a highest temperature and set an oven rack approximately 6" away from the top element. Place two eggplants on an aluminium lined shallow baking tray and cook for 15 minutes until the outside is charred and smoky and the inside collapses and turns into a mush. Cool until safe to handle and remove the burned skin.
  • In a food processor or a blender combine eggplant flesh, sliced garlic, tahini, lemon juice, smoked paprika and run until smooth and creamy, then open the shoot and add olive oil with the motor still running until baba ganoush is desired consistency. Add salt to taste.

For the Zhoug

  • Place all ingredients except for the oil in the bowl of a food processor and blend until the smooth, with the motor still running open the shoot and add the oil, blend for a few more seconds. Add salt to taste.

For the pomegranate vinaigrette

  • In a mason jar combine all the dressing ingredients, cover with a lid and shake for a few seconds until combined.

For the salad

  • Place chicken breasts on parchment paper or plastic wrap double the size of them and coat chicken with ras el hanout, then cover them with parchment paper. Pound the thick end of the chicken breast with a meat mallet or a rolling pin until the entire chicken breast is not thicker than 1/2". Grill for 2 minutes on each side and set aside.
  • In a large salad bowl combine salad greens, radishes, cucumbers, peeled and segmented blood orange slices. Add 3 tbsp of pomegranate vinaigrette and toss to coat.
  • Top with sliced grilled chicken breasts, sliced avocado, dollops of baba ganoush, drizzle with zhoug and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Nutrition

Calories: 830kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 30g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 529mg | Potassium: 1910mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 2285IU | Vitamin C: 83mg | Calcium: 307mg | Iron: 8mg