To cut prep time, try ready-made basil pesto instead of this homemade parsley dressing.

Prep Time: 19 minutes, cook time: 6 minutes, servings: 4
Ingredients
2 small Italian eggplants, sliced in 1/2-inch-thick rounds
5 tablespoons olive oil 
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons sherry or other wine vinegar
1 tablespoon pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups flat leaf parsley
3 ounces (3 cups, packed)  baby spinach leaves
1 cup canned small white beans, rinsed and drained
8-12 cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced
Directions
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Brush eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season with salt to taste. Grill 2 to 3 minutes per side until soft and flexible. Set aside.
2. To make the parsley dressing, place the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the vinegar,  pine nuts, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper in bowl of food processor and process until finely chopped. Transfer dressing to small bowl and set aside until ready to serve.
3. To serve, arrange spinach, white beans, eggplant and tomatoes on a serving platter or individual plates and drizzle with parsley dressing. Pass a peppermill, if you like.
Tip: Add some of your favorite dressing to any remaining canned white beans and keep them in the fridge to give a quick protein boost to weekday salads.

Prep Time: 19 minutes, cook time: 6 minutes, servings: 4

Ingredients

2 small Italian eggplants, sliced in 1/2-inch-thick rounds

5 tablespoons olive oil 

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons sherry or other wine vinegar

1 tablespoon pine nuts

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 cups flat leaf parsley

3 ounces (3 cups, packed)  baby spinach leaves

1 cup canned small white beans, rinsed and drained

8-12 cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Brush eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season with salt to taste. Grill 2 to 3 minutes per side until soft and flexible. Set aside.

2. To make the parsley dressing, place the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the vinegar,  pine nuts, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper in bowl of food processor and process until finely chopped. Transfer dressing to small bowl and set aside until ready to serve.

3. To serve, arrange spinach, white beans, eggplant and tomatoes on a serving platter or individual plates and drizzle with parsley dressing. Pass a peppermill, if you like.

Tip: Add some of your favorite dressing to any remaining canned white beans and keep them in the fridge to give a quick protein boost to weekday salads.

Aussie chef Donna Hay, whose new must-have cookbook is Instant Entertaining, makes her second appearance in our magazine. A mother of two—sons Angus, 4, and Tom, 18 months—she started cooking at the age of 7. Donna lives on a farm outside of Sydney and edits the Donna Hay Magazine (www.donnahay.com.au).