Eggplant Salad with Chickpeas and Feta

I've had this recipe pinned for awhile and after getting 5 small eggplants in last week's CSA I decided now was the time to try it out. I was afraid that using chickpeas and eggplant together might be too much of a culinary stretch for my family but surprisingly it was a hit with the majority of us. The 4 year old wasn't too fond of the dish, but her baby sister loved the chickpeas so 3/4 isn't too bad. :)

I found the recipe on martha stewart.com.  You'll need to start by roasting the eggplant, here is a simple recipe also from martha.

Roasted Eggplant 
3 medium eggplants (about 1 lb each, I only had 1.5 lbs total but the recipe still worked fine for me)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

Directions 
1. Preheat oven to 475. Cut eggplants into 1 inch cubes, divide between 2 baking sheets.
2. Dividing evenly, drizzle with olive oil, coarse salt and ground pepper. Toss to coat. Spread in a single layer, roast, turning once until golden and tender about 25-35 minutes. Cool on sheets. 

Now you're ready for the salad recipe.

Eggplant Salad with Chickpeas and Feta 
Ingredients 
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
Roasted eggplant
1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinses
1 cup (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped herb of your choice (I used basil, martha recommended mint)

Directions 
1. In a large bowl whisk together lemon juice, oil, salt and ground pepper.
2. Add roasted eggplant, chickpeas, feta and chopped herb. Toss to combine.