Grilled Lemon Marinated Summer Vegetables with Romesco Sauce

20 minutes, plus marinating time

Serves 6

Grilled vegetable kebabs...you see them at every backyard BBQ, but frankly, those sad sticks of flavorless veggies could use some help. What if you treated vegetables like meat and marinated them? Oh yeah, that would bring a little life to the party.

Ingredients

Lemon-herb marinade

¼

cup lemon juice
2

tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1

tbsp lemon zest, grated
1

tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1

tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1

tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
½

tsp kosher salt
¼

tsp ground black pepper

Grilled vegetables

1

eggplant, cubed
2

small zucchini, thickly sliced
2

small summer squash, thickly sliced
1

red bell pepper, cubed
½

red onion, cubed
24

bamboo skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes prior to grilling

Romesco Sauce

16-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
½

cup toasted slivered almonds
2

tbsp parsley, chopped
2

tbsp sherry vinegar
1

tsp smoked paprika
⅓

cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1 In a gallon size Ziploc^® brand bag, combine lemon juice, olive oil, zest, herbs, salt and pepper. Close the bag and shake vigorously until combined. Use the easy open tabs (perfect for messy hands) to reopen and add vegetables. Close the bag again and shake until the vegetables are coated with the marinade. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

2 While the vegetables are marinating, place the ingredients for the romesco sauce in a food processor or a blender and puree until smooth but with a little texture.

3 When ready to grill, skewer vegetables (about 8 pieces per kebab).

4 Place the kebabs on a charcoal or gas grill preheated to medium-high heat and grill for 4 to 5 minutes a side, until vegetables are cooked through and slightly charred. Season with a pinch of salt and serve with romesco sauce on the side.

Tip

Start by marinating fresh summer vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, and summer squash—right in a gallon size Ziploc^® brand bag. Then skewer the vegetables and throw them on the grill. Are you going to stop there? Oh no, you’re going to top off your zesty lemon-marinated grilled vegetables with a simple yet smoky roasted red bell pepper romesco sauce! That’s right—veggies will take the backyard BBQ crown!

Use two bamboo skewers per kebab for easier handling.