Have you been cutting the leafy parts off of your celery and throwing it in the compost? Stop! Celery leaves are totally edible and belong in your salad bowl or soup pot, not the compost bin. This salad puts celery leaves right in the spotlight, where they belong. Don't have enough celery leaves? Just use finely chopped celery, or add other leafy greens to the mix.
Celery Leaf Salad with Balsamic Roasted Eggplant
¼ C balsamic vinegar
1 T dijon mustard
½ t red pepper flakes
¼ t salt
1 eggplant
⅓ C goat cheese
⅓ C walnuts
3 C celery leaves
1 T olive oil
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Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, pepper flakes, and salt in a large bowl
Slice the eggplant into ½ inch rounds and add to the bowl with the dressing. Toss and let marinate for 5 minutes. Place on a baking sheet and spoon extra marinade on top, reserving the rest. Roast at 400 F for 10 minutes, flip, and hen for 5-10 mins more. Top with goat cheese and broil until golden, 2-3 minutes.
Reduce oven to 325 and toast walnuts for 7-10 minutes until fragrant. Remove and roughly chop.
Whisk the olive oil into the remaining marinade and pour over celery leaves in a large bowl.
Divide onto plates and top with eggplant and walnuts.