Summer is officially coming to an end. The nights are getting cooler, the days are getting shorter and the produce is changing! In an attempt to hold on to summer I have been making salads like crazy! Grilled eggplant and tomato salad, sweet corn and radish salad, chickpea salad, really any salad in which I can throw the flavors of summer into a bowl and memorize their taste. For sooner than I care to think of, those flavors will be missing and we will be back to root vegetables - all. the. time.

Today I saw this beautiful purple eggplant from Royal Acres Farm just sitting in my fridge wilting away and knew that it needed to be spiced, grilled and consumed pronto. I love grilled eggplant, it sweetens the flesh, and imparts a smokiness that I like to draw out with smoked paprika. It is also the perfect base for topping! From tomatoes and hot peppers to this amazing chickpea, cucumber and okra salad enhanced with lemon juice and a touch of tahini.

The best part for me, is that the first half became my dinner and the second half was blended into baba ganoush for lunch the next day. What a treat to enjoy that creamy spread, if you have never tried it I highly recommend giving it a go.

Summer is coming to a close so make sure to absorb that sunshine and eat the freshest vegetables you can get, savoring each sweet and savory bite. Enjoy and healthy eating!

Grilled Eggplant with Chickpea, Cucumber and Okra Salad

1 Eggplant, halved lengthwise

4 tbs Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika

Pink HImalayan Sea Salt

1 Tomato, chopped

1 Cucumber, chopped

1/2 Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Red Pepper (i used a hot Italian but a sweet pepper would be fine), chopped

1 can Chickpeas, drained

1 ear of Corn, removed from the ear

5 pods of Okra

1 tbs of Cajun Seasoning

1 Lemon, juiced

1 tbs Oregano (dried or fresh)

1/4 cup Tahini

2 tbs Water

Preheat the grill, coat the eggplant in olive oil, 1 tbs per side. Sprinkle with smoked Paprika and some sea salt. Grill over medium high heat until browned and the flesh is tender.

In a small bowl, toss okra, a drizzle of olive oil and the cajun seasoning.Grill until browned.

Meanwhile in a large bowl combine the tomato, cucumber, onion, garlic, pepper, corn, and chickpeas. Toss with 1 tbs of olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt, juice from half of the lemon and the oregano.

In a small container, combine the tahini, the juice from the other half of the lemon, the water and a little salt.

Place the eggplant on a plate, top with the chickpea and cucumber salad, drizzle the tahini sauce over top, sprinkling with parsley and adding the grilled okra. Enjoy!

Often when one thinks of the word salad they conjure up images of lettuce blandly adorning a plate drizzled with fat free dressing and instantaneously that dreaded word 'diet' pops into mind. Salads however, do not have to be boring and should never be associated with diets but with nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

The base of most salads rely on lettuce of some sort, as a younger person I gravitated towards mild greens such as Romaine or the dreaded Iceberg because that was what I knew. I remember tasting fresh arugula for the first time and being blown away by its pepper nature and sampling frisee in all its bitterness and declaring it gross! However, as I have experimented my taste buds have changed and I began to embrace greens and see them in a whole new light.

Personally, I now find Iceberg watery and gross and Romaine lacking in crispness and taste. Most of the time my go too green is Kale or Baby Spinach but once my Royal Acres Farm CSA starts for the summer I know that I will be forced to expand my usual palate and create some interesting salads to manage all of those fresh greens!

Last week I was all about the Arugula but this week Escarole was in the bunch and I couldn't wait to get it home and try some new ways of eating it. Sure I could have just torn it up and chopped from tomatoes and avocado and had a nice salad or I could have sauteed it with white beans and hot sauce (one of my favorite dishes) but I was in the mood for something heartier and a little more interesting.

Thus, this grilled Escarole Salad was born. The grill provides the perfect place for lightly wilting the leaves and roasting the chickpeas while the cucumber salad boasts a fresh Mediterranean flavor combining cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, olives, corn, feta,garlic scapes and oregano. The cucumber, dill, yogurt, and lemon of the Tzatziki dressing adds a tart creaminess to the dish that counteracts with the slight char of the Escarole. I hope that you enjoy!

Grilled Escarole with Cucumber Salad, Roasted Chickpeas and Tzatziki

Serves 2 (with extra cucumber salad for a later date)

1 head of Escarole

Drizzle of Olive Oil and Sprinkle of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Roasted Chickpeas

1 cup of Chickpeas (soaked and sprouted)

1/4 tsp Paprika

1/4 tsp Oregano

1 tbs Olive Oil

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Cucumber Salad

1 large Cucumber, chopped 1/2 cup reserved for dressing

2 Roma Tomatoes, chopped

1/2 Red Onion, chopped

1 ear of Corn

1 cup of Olives of your choice, chopped

1 Garlic Scape Stalk, chopped

1 tbs Fresh Oregano, minced

1/2 cup Feta Cheese

1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Tzatziki Dressing

1/2 cup Cucumber (reserved from salad)

Juice of 1 Lemon

1 clove of Garlic

1 tbs Olive Oil

1 tbs Dill, dried or fresh

1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

3 tbs Plain Yogurt

Preheat 1/2 of the grill. Toss the chickpeas with the olive oil, salt, oregano, and paprika. Place in a shallow pan (I use a loaf pan) and place on the grill over medium heat to roast.

Meanwhile, chop the cucumber, tomato, onion, olives, oregano and garlic scape combining in a large bowl. Add the corn that has been removed from the ear and feta cheese, tossing to combine. Sprinkle with some sea salt and place to the side.

Check on the chickpeas and toss, lowering heat and moving to the cool side of the grill if needed.

Using a blender, immersion blender, or smoothie maker (this is what I used) add the cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, dill, salt, and yogurt, blending until smooth. Taste and adjust as necessary. Set aside.

Rinse the Escarole by dunking into a bowl of water to remove dirt. Cut in half and dry with a paper towel. Drizzle olive oil on the cut side and sprinkle with sea salt. Remove Chickpeas from the grill and place Escarole cut side down over medium low heat cooking until lightly wilted with a small amount of char, about 2 minutes. Flip and repeat.

Remove from grill and place on 2 plates. Add a generous spoonful of the cucumber salad and roasted chickpeas topping with the tzatziki dressing. Enjoy and Healthy Eating!

*you could always just toss the cucumber salad with the tzatziki dressing and chop the grilled escarole in order to combine. The flavors work great together and the extra dressing or cucumber salad is awesome on its own as well!