Grilled Summer Veggies with Goat Cheese and Pesto

Creamy and herbaceous, this gorgeous side dish really brings the taste of sweet Summer produce to the forefront. It's wonderful served alongside a piece of grilled steak or atop cooked pasta. This recipe makes 4 servings.

PREP TIME: 3 hours 0 minutes
COOK TIME: 20 minutes

Ingredients
For the marinade:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the pesto:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the vegetables:
3 large zucchini, ends removed and cut into quarters lengthwise
1 large red onion, peeled, ends removed and cut into wedges
1 large eggplant, ends removed and sliced into 1/3" rounds
2 bell peppers, seeded , cored and cut into wedges
1 pound portobello mushrooms, brushed clean and stems removed

Remaining ingredients:
8 ounces goat cheese

Directions
Make the marinade: Place all marinade ingredients in a nonreactive bowl and whisk together to combine.

Marinade the vegetables: Arrange vegetables in a single layer in a large glass baking dish. Pour marinade over vegetables and flip veggies with tongs to coat all sides with marinade. Cover and let rest for at least one hour and up to 3 hours.

While the vegetable are marinading, make the pesto: Add basil and nuts to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add garlic and cheese; pulse to combine. Scrape down the sides of your food processor with a spatula. Place the lid back on the food processor and open the pour spout. Turn the processor on and slowly drizzle in oil until all ingredients are combined. Once blended, taste and adjust seasoning. Store, covered and chilled, until ready to use.

Once vegetables have rested and soaked up most of the marinade, heat your grill or grill pan to medium. Remove veggies from marinade and shake to remove excess liquid. Grill for 10-15 minutes, flipping once in the middle of cooking. Once veggies are fork-tender, remove from heat.

To assemble, arrange veggies on a large serving plate. Drizzle with pesto. Crumble goat cheese and place over the top of the veggies. Serve immediately.