Marinated Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches with Pesto

Happy Fourth of July everyone! The weather was pretty chilly today. It's been an odd summer to say the least. 

My mom asked me to help her plan the menu for today. I thought grilled vegetable sandwiches would be delicious. I have a favorite little Italian cafe I go to sometimes called Tina's Italian Cafe. They have THEE best veggie sandwich there! The version I made was vegan. I found a recipe on Down to Earth's website for marinated vegetables that sounded perfect. I was looking for a recipe with balsamic vinegar in it and I'm glad that this was an easy and tasty one. I placed all the vegetables in a zip-lock bag and poured in the marinade and let it sit overnight. Here's the recipe for the marinade:

  

Marinated Vegetables Sandwiches

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. lemon juice

1/2 t dried thyme

1/2 t. dried oregano

1 t. dried rosemary

2 t. dried basil

salt & pepper

Whisk all ingredients together or shake in a mason jar until combined.

You can use whatever vegetables you would like. Some suggestions: zucchini, yellow squash, tomato, carrots, red, green, & yellow bell peppers, scallions, red onion, kale, butternut squash, asparagus, eggplant, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, or mushrooms. Slice up vegetables in long strips, about 1/4" thick and place in a zip-lock bag. Pour vinaigrette over vegetables and seal bag. Toss a couple times to combine.  

Marinade vegetables in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight for more intense flavor. 

When ready to cook vegetables, preheat grill on high. Before placing vegetables on grill, turn down to medium. Lightly coat a grill pan (or foil) with non-stick cooking spray and place on grill. Add marinated vegetables to pan/foil, using tongs. Close grill lid and grill vegetables until caramelized and tender, and slightly charred, if you would like. 

I made a simple pesto to spread on focaccia bread. It's also delicious on Italian, French, or Ciabatta. I have a few pesto recipes on my blog you can check out. I used toasted pine nuts, several handfuls of spinach, 4 small cloves of garlic, salt, & pepper. Then Added enough olive oil to make it smooth and spreadable. I love having extra pesto on hand to use during the week in pastas, pizza, sandwiches, or other dishes. 
We also had my mom's famous potato salad and a black bean/toasted corn salsa with dinner. I drank a glass of citron green iced tea with the meal. It was perfectly refreshing! 

For dessert, I made vegan chocolate cupcakes with cafe mocha buttercream frosting. It's one of my favorites! I made it for a friend's wedding years ago and they still talk about it. 

This is my first blog post since last year. I took a break to do the Living Light School of Worship and focus on my relationship with Jesus. I hope you enjoyed my first post! There will many more to come! 

May God bless you,

Chef Teebs

The chocolate cake I made for my friend's wedding :)