$5 Dinners: Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Grilled Eggplant and Tofu

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With fresh herbs and that char-grilled flavor, this meal is great for both your body and your taste buds.

(Yield: 4 servings)

For the Quinoa Salad:

1 ¾ cups water
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup quinoa
1 cup seeded and diced English cucumber (about ½ cucumber)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 cup Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
½ small red onion, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the Grilled Tofu:

¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
14 ounces extra firm tofu, drained, patted dry, cut into ½-inch slices

For the Grilled Eggplant:

1/3 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large eggplant, halved widthwise, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Sea salt, to taste

To make quinoa salad:

In a small pot, bring water to a boil with salt. Add quinoa, turn heat down to a simmer, and cook until all water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn heat off, and let stand covered, for another 10 minutes.

Allow quinoa to come to room temperature. Fluff with a fork.

In a large bowl, toss quinoa with remaining salad ingredients. Taste and season with salt, if needed.

To make grilled tofu:

Whisk together lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

In a shallow dish, coat tofu in marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook tofu until browned, 3-4 minutes per side, basting occasionally with marinade.

To make grilled eggplant:

Combine olive oil and garlic, and brush eggplant on both sides. Season with salt.

Grill over medium-high heat until softened and browned, 4-5 minutes per side.

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