Grilled Vegetable Antipasto

Entertaining is easy when you have delicious ingredients to work with! Fresh vegetables, grilled or roasted in the oven make for a delightful pairing with your favorite cheese and spreads.

Grilled Vegetable Antipasto

By: Lynne Vea

Total Time: 
25 to 30 minutes

Servings: 
6-8 appetizer portions

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

• Squeeze of fresh lemon, plus wedges for serving

• Salt pepper to taste

• 6 to 8 small carrots, peeled

• 1 cup organic snap peas (don’t remove the stems)

• 1 small organic zucchini, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch thick pieces

• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

• 4 tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

• 6 to 8 fingerling potatoes, boiled for 15 minutes and cut in half

• Basil sprigs, to garnish

Preparation

1. Combine the olive oil, basil, citrus juice and the sea salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss the vegetables in this mixture to coat well. Add a little extra olive oil if you need it.

2. Preheat a gas grill to high or build a bed of hot coals. Grill the vegetables, turning once or twice, until grill marks appear and the color pops. Don’t overcook them, as they will continue to cook slightly after you have removed them from the grill. Arrange the vegetables on a platter and serve with any of the additional items below. Garnish with wedges of lemon and whole sprigs of basil.

Serving Suggestions

Accompany all of this bounty with some freshly baked bread and a Mediterranean dip-like hummus and you have a gorgeous tribute to the season!

Roasted Tomato Salsa with Homemade Tortilla Chips

Roasting vegetables is an easy way to bring out more flavor. Most salsas call for fresh vegetables, so enjoy this break from the routine. You’ll love the deep, smoky flavors your broiler can bring out! Guests at your independence day gathering this year are sure to be dazzled by your homemade chips and salsa!

Roasted Tomato Salsa with Homemade Chips

By: Co+op, stronger together

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 large tomatoes, halved

• 3 large jalapeños

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled

• 1 large onion, cut in 8 wedges

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika, divided

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

• 6 corn tortillas

Preparation

1. Position the top oven rack 6 inches below the broiler, and turn broiler on to high.

2. Place vegetables on a large sheet pan with a rim and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss to coat, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Broil for 5 minutes, remove pan from the broiler. Turn the vegetables over, and return to broil for about 5 minutes longer. When vegetables are blackened and soft, transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Once vegetables are cool enough to handle, remove stems and seeds from the jalapeños, and place the peppers in a food processor bowl. Add remaining vegetables and juices from the pan, and puree coarsely. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cumin, a half-teaspoon smoked paprika, lime juice and cilantro.

3. To make the chips, heat the oven to 350°F. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges, drizzle with remaining olive oil, toss to coat, then sprinkle with remaining salt and paprika and toss again. Spread on two sheet pans and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. When the chips are lightly browned and crisp, cool on pans on racks. Serve chips with the salsa.

Serving Suggestion

Besides dipping chips in this tasty salsa, try it on black bean or fish tacos, or atop huevos rancheros. Any leftover salsa can be refrigerated in a closed container for up to a week. The chips will last for up to four days in a sealed container at room temperature