Summer Roasted Vegetable Salad with Quinoa

Wondering what to do with all the vegetables from your garden or CSA? Don’t want to heat up your kitchen during the scorching August days? Make a batch of this satisfying dish. Make a double batch and impress your friends at a summer picnic! Serve with thirst quenching lemonade and some bread with olive oil and parmesan for dipping. Then for dessert, grill nectarines and serve with dollops of honey sweetened mascarpone.

¼ c olive oil
1 small eggplant, cut into 1” pieces
1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1” slices
8 oz white button mushrooms, quartered
About 12 patio tomatoes (or 24 cherry tomatoes), halved
3 small leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced in half lengthwise
1 lb green beans (or asparagus), cleaned and stemmed
1 cup uncooked quiona, cooked according to package directions
20 basil leaves, shredded
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 oz pine nuts
Sea salt and pepper

Prepare grill (or preheat oven to 450 degrees). Drizzle all the vegetables with olive oil and toss. Grill vegetables in a grill cage until they have begun to caramelize. Or, roast in the oven, turning once. The eggplant and zucchini will take longer so put them in a separate cage. The eggplant and zucchini will take about 20-25 min while the rest of the vegetables will take 10-15 min. Once the vegetables are finished, toss them with the quinoa. Add basil, feta cheese, and pine nuts. Combine well. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.