All right. I have two confessions. First, these aren’t technically grilled, nor do they have avocado on them. *GASP* I know, I’m sorry. But let me explain. So, it’s very early spring here in Colorado and the outdoor grill, much like my legs, are still winterized. But, I do have the spray tan of grills . . .
Now, about that avocado. I’ve had 4 avocados sitting in a paper bag on my counter for about 5 days and they are still rock solid. I made the mistake of trying to cut into one and it was like stabbing a butternut squash. And if that wasn’t enough, I tried a second avocado and ended up with the same results. In fact, I couldn’t even get the halves apart! I was all ready to place the beautiful slices of avocado next to the fresh basil . . .
In spite of these culinary catastrophes, I assure you, the “grilling” process worked beautifully, and the avocado would be a grand addition to these sandwiches.
INGREDIENTS:
Marinade
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
1/2 C red wine
1/4 C olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
The rest
2 small zucchini, sliced length-wise
1 red bell pepper, cut into wide strips
1 eggplant, sliced length-wise, then again length-wise
1/2 large onion, cut into wide strips
1 avocado (preferably real and not imaginary), sliced
1 C fresh basil leaves
1/2 C hummus, homemade (easy) or store bought (even easier)
6 French rolls, or other sandwich bread
DIRECTIONS:
Combine the marinade ingredients in a large zip bag. Add the veggies and let them marinate in the fridge for about an hour. Turn the bag over halfway through. Spray the grill pan with a small amount of cooking spray and heat pan over medium heat. Using tongs, place the veggies in the pan. I recommend putting as many slices of bell pepper on as you can because they’ll take the longest to cook. I also suggest flattening them out a little so that you can turn them over to cook both sides. The zucchini and eggplant will take about 3-4 minutes per side.
I continued cooking all of the zucchini and eggplant, transferring the cooked slices to a large sheet of foil and sealing it up while everything else cooked. Everything stayed nice and hot. I then added the onions while the peppers continued to cook.
Once the vegetables are cooked, start assembling your sandwiches! (You can toast the bread first, if you’d like). Spread on some hummus, add the veggies, basil and of course, a few beautiful slices of avocado. Enjoy!
- Marinade
- ½ C balsamic vinegar
- ½ C red wine
- ¼ C olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- The rest
- 2 small zucchini, sliced length-wise
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into wide strips
- 1 eggplant, sliced length-wise, then again length-wise
- ½ large onion, cut into wide strips
- 1 avocado (preferably real and not imaginary), sliced
- 1 C fresh basil leaves
- ½ C hummus, homemade (easy) or store bought (even easier)
- 6 French rolls, or other sandwich bread
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a large zip bag. Add the veggies and let them marinate in the fridge for about an hour. Turn the bag over halfway through.
- Spray the grill pan with a small amount of cooking spray and heat pan over medium heat. Using tongs, place the veggies in the pan. I recommend putting as many slices of bell pepper on as you can because they'll take the longest to cook. I also suggest flattening them out a little so that you can turn them over to cook both sides. The zucchini and eggplant will take about 3-4 minutes per side.
- I continued cooking all of the zucchini and eggplant, transferring the cooked slices to a large sheet of foil and sealing it up while everything else cooked. Everything stayed nice and hot. I then added the onions while the peppers continued to cook.
- Once the vegetables are cooked, start assembling your sandwiches! (You can toast the bread first, if you'd like). Spread on some hummus, add the veggies, basil and of course, a few beautiful slices of avocado. Enjoy!
