Grilled Crosshatch Cut Veggies

This is an excellent recipe for eggplant and/or zucchini with a great combo of meltingly soft interior and crispy, caramelized surface. If you don’t grill, you can prepare the veggies in the toaster oven or oven instead. The cooked veggies are delicious on their own but are even better with a drizzle of balsamic and some crumbled goat cheese and fresh herbs. You could also serve alongside pasta with marinara or pesto. Or how about a lemony tahini sauce? Or spicy Korean sauce?

Ingredients

• Long, thin eggplant or zucchini
  Seasoned salt blend (mine includes cumin, onion and garlic powder and paprika)
  Olive oil
  Premade or store bought salad dressing

Clean zucchini and eggplant and cut in half lengthwise. Cut a crosshatch pattern about half way down over the cut face of the vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over to coat. Sprinkle cut sides with seasoned salt and drizzle a bit of premade dressing over the top.

Try to work the dressing into the cuts with a brush, the back of a spoon or your fingers. To Grill: Place prepared vegetables cut side down over a medium hot spot on grill. Cook about 5 minutes, until well browned and caramelized. Flip and cook skin side down until tender throughout.

To oven roast: Place vegetables cut side up in a baking dish and put in a 450 degree oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then broil for a few more minutes to get a crispy crust on top.

Those who don’t like eggplant skin can scoop the tender flesh out of the skin, otherwise you can eat with a fork and knife like a steak or dip the grilled veggies into sauce for a finger food.

Submitted by Sara Jones, Tucson CSA