Sometimes I have to grill vegetables instead of meat because I am in a relationship with a vegetarian. It’s okay! Thank you for your sympathy, but I still get my fill of carnivorous treats in my diet on a regular basis.
Tonight was one of those nights though. Where you just want to grill something other than meat. So I turned vegetables into a full meal, and it was enough to satisfy my dinnertime hunger.
I prepared the following three things on the grill:
1. Grilled zucchini rolled with fresh farmer’s goat cheese, baby spinach and basil.
2. Portabella mushrooms marinated in a homemade balsamic pesto.
3. Corn on the cob.
One of my all time favorite things to grill would be number one above and it is completely simple to make. Start off by cutting the zucchini lengthwise into strips.
Then, cover them with olive oil, salt and pepper and put them on the grill for a bit.
Once they’re cooked, gather everything else you need for rolling them up in one spot.
Put the fresh farmer’s goat cheese, baby spinach and basil together and roll into the grilled zucchini. (I usually use a goat cheese rolled in herbs for the filling, adds even more flavor!)
Can’t you taste how awesome they are just by looking at photographs of their rolled up deliciousness?
Now just set them aside until you’re ready to eat them. I always steal a few while they are still warm, but they are equally as good if they’ve cooled to room temperature. Or if they have fallen on the floor. Or if you decide you only want to make these and devour the entire plate in three minutes.
While I was rolling those up, I put the portabella mushrooms on the grill after I slathered them with a homemade balsamic pesto dressing. I also threw on two ears of fresh picked corn. Grilled corn on the cob is pretty amazing. And it gives a good presentation at the table too.
Once everything is cooked and ready to go, just put them all together on a plate and you have a vegetarian dinner that any meat eater would be satisfied with. I’m not going to become a non-meat eater anytime soon (ever) but once in a while, a dinner like this makes me think it isn’t completely impossible (it is).
To make everything above, you will need the things below:
2 medium sized zucchini
4 portabella mushroom caps (stems removed)
2 ears fresh picked corn on the cob
3 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup of herb rolled goat cheese
1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
3 cloves garlic
5 tbs. olive oil
3 tbs. balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
For the zucchini roll-ups:
Slice zucchini lengthwise into 1/4 inch wide strips. Cover with 2 tbsp. of olive oil and toss with salt and pepper. Place zucchini strips on hot grill turning once during cooking. (About 4-5 minutes on each side.) Take zucchini off of grill and bring to a prep area with the spinach, basil and goat cheese. Take a strip, place the cheese, spinach and basil on one end of the strip and roll it up. Place on plate and repeat.
For Pesto Sauce:
In a food processor, combine:
3 tbs. olive oil
2 cups basil leaves
2-3 tbs. balsamic vinegar
3 cloves of garlic (or more if you’d prefer)
Cover the portabella mushroom caps with the pesto sauce. Place on grill over medium flame and cook each side for about 10 minutes. (Based on the size of mushroom caps and your preference between soft or charred caps).
Cook corn on the cob on upper rack of grill for same length of time as portabella mushrooms.
Plate all together and serve!
The Things I Think About 
Leave a Reply