Summer Veggie Lentil Salad and Stir Fry

So lucky that summer is finally here and I get to take advantage of all the local summer veggies. One of my favorite combos is eggplant, summer squash , and zucchini. At the little bird I used to make them grilled on a sandwich. It was one of the customer favorites. Here I chopped them all up and made into a delicious lentil salad. This recipe is really simple and takes no time at all.

1 cup of lentils rinsed and cooked ( set aside and cool down)
1 medium sized eggplant cut into cubes
2 medium sized summer squash
1 medium sized zucchini
1/2 of red onion diced
3 cloves of garlic minced

Mix all ingredients except for the lentils into a mixing bowl with good quality extra virgin olive oil , 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, generous sprinkle of paprika, generous sprinkle of cumin, salt and pepper to taste.

Bake in the oven at 350 for about 35 min or until they look slightly golden brown.
Cool down.

Mix all vegetables with lentils.
Drizzle sparingly with grade b maple syrup.
Add chopped scallions (optional)

And there you have it! Can be served over mesclun greens or used as a side dish. I chose to accompany it with a mix of stir fry veggies that are in season. For a quick and easy stir fry:

Finely Chop 2 cloves of garlic
Simmer on medium heat with sesame oil, and tamari soy sauce.
Add shiitake mushrooms, yellow and orange bell peppers, broccoli, kale, and truly whatever other veggie you desire.
Simmer on medium to low heat for about 10 minutes or until veggies become tender.
Serve over wild or brown rice.