Freekeh salad with roasted vegetables

This is a hearty salad that you can serve as a side dish or as a meal on its own. 

Ingredients ( serves 4-6)

- 1 cup freekeh

- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or water)

- 1 onion, minced

- 1 small eggplant, diced

- 1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced

- 150 g mushrooms, sliced

- 1 onion, sliced not too thinly

- 1-2 garlic cloves, mashed

- 1 Tablespoon oregano

- 2-3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

- 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- salt and pepper, to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté  the minced onion until translucent, add the freekeh and cook for 4 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Add the vegetable broth (or water), salt and pepper, and simmer uncovered, for 10 minutes, place the cover and simmer for 10 minutes longer or until the broth is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with fork. Add the freekeh to the serving bowl and allow to cool. While the freekeh is boiling, prepare the veggies as follows: in an oven proof dish, toss the eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and sliced onion with the remaining olive oil and roast at 400 F until tender and some edges are slightly charred. To assemble the salad, combine the roasted veggies (and their oil) with the freekeh, add the mashed garlic, oregano, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to your preference. Serve with a green salad and enjoy!