Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Dice the aubergine, toss it with olive oil, the spice mix and salt and roast for 20–25 min, until soft and golden brown.
Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve. Cook it in lightly salted water until done and let it steam off briefly.
Roughly chop the mint. Squeeze the lemon and whisk the lemon juice with olive oil into a simple dressing.
Put the quinoa, roasted aubergine, mint and pomegranate seeds into a large bowl. Toss everything together loosely.
Fold in the dressing and leave the salad to stand briefly so the flavours come together.
To serve, gently fluff up the salad again and finish to taste with a little more lemon or a pinch of salt.
Good to know
A salad like this tastes like a lot of flavour for very little effort. Warm, fresh and pleasantly spiced – exactly the kind of dish that is properly satisfying even on its own.
Swaps
Quinoa → millet (similar fibre content and naturally gluten-free); Aubergine → roasted courgette (a little milder, with more water); Pomegranate seeds → blueberries (also provide polyphenols); Olive oil → avocado oil (milder flavour, with plenty of unsaturated fatty acids).
Allergens
The recipe is naturally vegan and gluten-free and contains none of the main allergens; it's usually fine for children if mildly spiced, and well suited to pregnancy as long as the quinoa is washed thoroughly and the aubergine fully cooked.
