Saturday, May 23, 2009

Farmers Market Bounty & Grilled Vegetables!

Of late I've been feeling a real need for healthy and veggie, sorry my fried zucchini and mushrooms, bye bye! Instead I have been grilling and broiling and eating vegetables in all of their bounty, yea springtime (or truthfully, nearly summertime)! Earlier this week I stopped at the store and picked up some delicious eggplant and portabella mushrooms to complement the zucchini that were already at home, envisioning the grill and all of these beautiful vegetables I pulled together a tasty summer grilled veggie salad complimented with crusted goat cheese rounds.

Grilled Vegetable Salad
1 Medium Eggplant, thinly sliced
4 Medium Zucchini, sliced length-wise
1 Small Jar Sun-Dried Tomatoes, packed in Olive Oil
2 Large Portabella Mushrooms
3 Large Hearts of Romaine Lettuce, chopped
Montreal Steak Seasoning (or a mixture of coarse ground salt, coarse ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder)
Olive Oil

Goat Cheese, Semi-soft
Bread Crumbs

3 Tbsp Stone Ground Dijon Mustard
3 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
3 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil


1. Slice zucchini and eggplant, place in a large baking dish, marinate by drizzling with olive oil and adding seasoning. Marinate mushrooms as well, but do not slice ahead of cooking. Allow to sit for up to thirty minutes.
2. Either grill or broil veggies until tender and showing char marks.
3. In a skillet, heat sun-dried tomatoes until warmed.
4. Slice mushrooms and tomatoes length-wise.
5. Place mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant on a bed of Romaine, garnish with dressing and goat cheese rounds.
6. To make dressing, combine equal parts dijon mustard, white wine vinegar and grapeseed oil.
7. To make goat cheese rounds slice goat cheese generously, roll in bread crumbs and place alongside salad.




After this tasty dinner earlier this week my mom and I got up early today and hit two local farmers markets (that's right, two!). We had a great time staking things out, looking for beautiful produce and talking to the vendors. Living on the outer edge of Austin (really in Round Rock), we're close to some farming land, not like the old days but people with acreage and we are near enough to some of the rural parts of Central Texas that you get ranchers selling meats as well as the great produce and plants. We came back from our excursion with quite the haul! Loads of fresh fruit and veggies, fresh baked whole-wheat bread, a few basil plants for mom and a succulent for me (I really love cacti and succulent, they are a plant I can't kill!). We also requested a bone-in leg of lamb that we'll get next Saturday morning and grill next weekend, I'd say a pretty successful expedition all-in all. Can't wait to see what we find next weekend!


18 comments:

Christo Gonzales said...

nice score - what did you do with the beet greens?

Reeni said...

What beautiful produce! Can't wait to see what you create with it. The grilled vegetable salad looks so good with goat cheese, yum!

Heather S-G said...

Gorgeous...what a perfect day at the market. I love days like this. You're veggies sound awesome...I'm so glad it's grillin' time around here again!

Donna-FFW said...

Your veggies sound lovely and the dressing to must be fantastic. All that lovely produce cant wait to see what else you come up with!!

Kerstin said...

I love roasted veggies and those goat cheese rounds sound super yummy! Nice score at the farmer's market too, I really need to find one by us!

grace said...

as far as i'm concerned, NO preparation of those vegetables can beat grilling 'em. delightful!

Chef Fresco said...

Nice combo of delicious veggies! I of course like your goat cheese addition as well :)

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous farmers market produce! Grilling is definitely in right now!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

You scored big time at the farmer's market and grilling you veggies for salad is just way over the top!

♥Rosie♥ said...

Fresh beautiful produce you can't beat! The salad looks so good with your goat’s cheese.

Kristen said...

Oh my heavens that looks lovely!

Heather S-G said...

ps...i have something for you over at my place...come pick it up when you get a moment :)

itsawrap said...

I just found your blog and I am so excited to find a fellow Longhorn! I bleed orange too!! I graduated in 2004 but miss AUSTIN so much! Great loot you brought back :)

Tangled Noodle said...

Fantastic bounty! Our farmer's market is still in its early stage (lots of flowers and vegetables for planting but not as much produce yet). This makes me sooo impatient for the good stuff to arrive . . . !

Elyse said...

Ooo, I love grilled veggies. They are so darn delicious. Man oh man, I could go for a plate of grilled veggies right now. Isn't it wonderful how summer makes you stop craving fried veggies?!

Hornsfan said...

Doggy - unfortunately we didn't get the greens, they were topped when we picked them up!
Reeni - The produce is so delicious already, I'm loving it!
Girlichef - Me too, thank heavens for the grill :)
Donna - Thanks!
Kerstin - Good luck on the search - it's well worth finding a good farmer's market
Grace - me too!
Chef Fresco - Thanks, I love the goat cheese too, any time I can sneak some of that in is a good day :)
5 Star, Katherine, Rosie & Kristin - Thanks!
itsawrapteacher - Thanks for stopping by, a fellow Horn is always welcome :)
Tangled Noodle - I hope your market opens soon, it really does make it feel like Spring/Summer when you can walk around outdoors and buy produce!
Elyse - I love that I stop wanting the fried and start wanting the grilled :)

Anonymous said...

Dear Friend!
Greetings!
When I read about your oven grilled green tomatoes on Foodbuzz, I flew here!
But where are tehy?
Anyway great veg!
In Shizuoka,it is tomato season, and we come with absolutely everything!
As I have to cook at home this Friday, you gave me an idea!
Cheers,
Robert-Gilles

Hornsfan said...

shizuokagourmet - Robert, it's coming soon, it's super easy! I'll post it ASAP so you can try it out. :)