This is my “go to” recipe when I need something light, tasty, and delicious for dinner. It’s especially great for a summer cookout, especially because you can get all of the ingredients straight from your very own garden! The roasted vegetables are delicious hot out of the oven, and they’re just as good chilled. It is the absolute easiest thing to make, but tastes completely gourmet, and it makes the house smell wonderful in the process.
Ingredients:
(Makes 4 Servings)
- 1 Baby Eggplant or Small Purple Eggplant
- 1 Zucchini
- 1 Cup of Grape Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms
- 5 Fresh Garlic Cloves
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Balsamic Reduction
- 1/4 tsp. Celery Seed
- 1/4 tsp. Paprika
- 1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano
- 1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- The Juice of 1/4 of a Lemon
- A Small Pinch of Ground Sea Salt
- Red & Green Oak Lettuce (or similar dark-leafed lettuce)
Preheat Oven to 350º.
Cut Eggplant and Zucchini into slices, and then quarter the slices. Cut garlic cloves into fourths.
Brush 1 tsp. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the bottom of a deep, non-stick cooking pan (you can also use a nonstick baking sheet with edges). Pour all vegetables into the pan and spread around so that all or most of the vegetables are in a single layer.
In a small bowl or cup, mix all of the herbs and spices together. Give the vegetables a squirt of lemon juice, then sprinkle herb mix evenly over the whole pan.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. The smell that begins wafting from your oven will be amazing. Take the pan out of the oven and set on a cooling rack. The vegetables will appear to be dry, don’t worry! Stir the veggies with a plastic or wooden spoon (so you don’t scrape your pan).
Now you have the choice of serving them hot, or letting them cool.
To create each serving, lay about 4 leaves of Red and Green Oak Lettuce on each plate and spoon a generous amount of veggies onto the center of each. Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Reduction and enjoy!
Something I really love about this recipe is that it is so versatile. Here are some other options:
- Put vegetables into a blender and pulse on low so that it is still very chunky. Use to top crusty bread or crostini. Drizzle with olive oil, and for more delicious flavor, (although it will no longer be vegan), top with fresh Chevre goat cheese!
- Put vegetables into a blender or food processor with 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil and use as a pasta sauce!
- Stuff the roasted vegetables into a panini with a leaf of Red Oak Lettuce and some fresh Mozzarella. Serve while veggies are hot!
- 1 Baby Eggplant or Small Purple Eggplant
- 1 Zucchini
- 1 Cup of Grape Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms
- 5 Fresh Garlic Cloves
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Balsamic Reduction
- ¼ tsp. Celery Seed
- ¼ tsp. Paprika
- ¼ tsp. Dried Oregano
- ¼ tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- The Juice of ¼ of a Lemon
- A Small Pinch of Ground Sea Salt
- Red & Green Oak Lettuce (or similar dark-leafed lettuce)
- Preheat Oven to 350º.
- Cut Eggplant and Zucchini into slices, and then quarter the slices. Cut garlic cloves into fourths.
- Brush 1 tsp. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the bottom of a deep, non-stick cooking pan (you can also use a nonstick baking sheet with edges). Pour all vegetables into the pan and spread around so that all or most of the vegetables are in a single layer.
- In a small bowl or cup, mix all of the herbs and spices together. Give the vegetables a squirt of lemon juice, then sprinkle herb mix evenly over the whole pan.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. The smell that begins wafting from your oven will be amazing. Take the pan out of the oven and set on a cooling rack. The vegetables will appear to be dry, don’t worry! Stir the veggies with a plastic or wooden spoon (so you don’t scrape your pan).
- To create each serving, lay about 4 leaves of Red and Green Oak Lettuce on each plate and spoon a generous amount of veggies onto the center of each. Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Reduction and enjoy!
