Grilled Vegetables with herb Balsamic vinaigrette

Fresh grilled vegetables with a balsamic herb dressing. Delicious! My inspiration for this dish came from The Food Network, Everyday Italian. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/grilled-vegetables-recipe/index.html. Now Giada must have been cooking for a huge crowd, as that amount of veg would feed a small infantry division. I was cooking for five adults and three toddlers. And I still had leftovers. Perhaps it was due to the Grilled Ribeyes, grilled corn, and smashed potatoes (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/05/restaurant-style-smashed-potatoes/). Who can say?

Let's get grilling! Here's what we need:

1 Red pepper

1 Orange pepper

2 medium size zucchini

1 yellow crookneck squash

1 pound Cremini (Baby Bellas) mushrooms

1 bunch asparagus

Green onions

1 eggplant (Leave it out. Trust me.)

For the dressing:

1/4 cup (approximately) Extra Virgin olive oil

3 Tbls (approximately) balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced

6 (or so) large fresh basil leaves, chopped

3 (or so) fresh thyme leaves, chopped

First things first. Mix up the dressing. Just whisk it all together. Then TASTE! Season it up to your liking. Needs more salt? Add some. More sweet? Add more Balsamic.. Heat? Throw in a pinch of red pepper flakes. Herbs? Add more. It's just food.

Now, we need to prep the veg. 

Cut the peppers in half and cut, or rip, the seeds and white stuff out.

Next, trim the asparagus ends off. If the asparagus is kind of thick, peel the ends with a vegetable peeler, like I did.

Wash the mushrooms off with a wet towel to get all the dirt off.

Cut the squash in half, then half again.

Leave out the eggplant. It was mushy and not delish.

Heat up the grill and the grill pan on medium/high heat.

Brush the veg with olive oil, and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Put the mushrooms on the grill pan. Put the peppers on the grill. skin side down. Cook for 5 minutes.

Then, put the asparagus, eggplant, and squash on the grill.

Turn the mushrooms over when they have dark brown grill marks. Turn the peppers over when they are black and blistered. Put the squash on the hottest part of the grill, skin side down. They only need about 3 minutes to char. That's what you're going for here. CHAR!

Flip all the veg over when charred on one side. 

Remove the peppers, cover with a bowl to steam the skins off. After about 5 minutes, peel the peppers, and slice into strips.

Remove all veg from the grill when crisp/tender, and place on a nice platter, drizzle with dressing, and toss.

Bon Appetit! 

Ingredients:

1 Red pepper

1 Orange pepper

2 medium size zucchini

1 yellow crookneck squash

1 pound Cremini (Baby Bellas) mushrooms

1 bunch asparagus

6 Green onions

Dressing:

1/4 cup (approximately) Extra Virgin olive oil

3 Tbls (approximately) balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced

6 (or so) large fresh basil leaves, chopped

3 (or so) fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Method:

1. Cut the peppers in half and cut, or rip, the seeds and white stuff out.

2. Trim the asparagus ends off. If the asparagus is thick, peel the ends with a vegetable peeler.

3. Wash the mushrooms off with a wet towel to get all the dirt off.

4. Cut the squash in half, then half again.

5. Heat up the grill and the grill pan on medium/high heat.

6. Brush the veg with olive oil, and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

7. 

Put the mushrooms on the grill pan. Put the peppers on the grill. skin side down. Cook for 5 minutes.

    Then, put the asparagus, eggplant, and squash on the grill.

8. 

Turn the mushrooms over when they have dark brown grill marks. Turn the peppers over when they are black and blistered. Put the squash on the hottest part of the grill, skin side down. They only need about 3 minutes to char. 

Flip all the veg over when charred on one side. 

9. Remove the peppers, cover with a bowl to steam the skins off. After about 5 minutes, peel the peppers, and slice into         strips.

10. Remove all veg from the grill when crisp/tender, and place on a nice platter, drizzle with dressing, and toss.