Grilled Vegetable Salad with Caramelized Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Pesto
A European-inspired summer salad that is topped with goat cheese and caramelized walnuts, perfect for warm summer evenings.
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant sliced into rounds
- 1 small zucchini sliced into rounds
- 1 small red or green bell pepper seeded and sliced
- 1 small yellow squash sliced into rounds
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion sliced into rounds
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 1 medium vine-ripened tomato peeled and pureed
- 3 tbs parsley leaves finely chopped
- 1 tbs thyme finely chopped
- Pesto
- 1/2 cup walnut halves
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- 1/4 tbs sea salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp walnut oil
- 4 oz goat cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Grill the eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and squash until softened. Remove vegetables from heat and place into a large mixing bowl.
- Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add and sauté the onion until golden brown (about 2 minutes).
- Add the garlic and tomato puree, cook for 1 minute.
- Add the parsley, basil and thyme.
- Pour mixture over the grilled vegetables, add the pesto and toss well to combine.
- Next, place the walnut halves, brown sugar, sea salt, cayenne pepper and the walnut oil in a medium saute pan and cook over high heat until the sugar caramelized and the nuts become brown (about 5 minutes). Make sure to stir occasional to avoid the nuts sticking together.
- Transfer the caramelized nuts to a wax-covered baking sheet and allow to cool.
- Serve Grilled Vegetable Salad in the center of each serving plate. Sprinkle the goat cheese over the salad and garnish with the caramelized walnuts.