Recipe - Grilled Vegetable Stacks

Here's an easy recipe to use up the bounty coming in from the gardens and farmer's markets right now. Fresh vegetables grilled quickly and stacked up: healthy, pretty, and tasty. Feel free to experiment with whatever vegetables on hand. This made 6 stacks. I served them with pickled shrimp and crusty bread, but they would compliment any grilled meat, too.

1 medium eggplant, or 2 small eggplants
1 teaspoon salt
1 large tomato
1 large zucchini, about 8 inches long
1 large yellow squash, about 8 inches long
6 Tablespoons goat cheese
1/4 cup vinaigrette of your choice

Wash all vegetables very well. Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch thick rounds. You need at least 12 slices total, so a little thinner or thicker than 1/2 inch is OK. Sprinkle each round with a little salt and place eggplant slices in a colander to drain for 15-30 minutes. This helps the eggplant be less watery when grilled. Wipe each eggplant round well after draining and set aside.

Trim the zucchini and squash. Slice each in half leaving 2 halves about 4 inches long. Slice each piece lengthwise into 3 strips.

Core large tomato and slice into 6 rounds. Set aside.

Brush eggplant, squash, and zucchini liberally with vinaigrette, reserve remaining vinaigrette. Grill eggplant, squash, and zucchini until tender, but not falling apart. It will only take a few minutes.

Remove from grill and assemble stacks in the following order:
1 eggplant round
1 Tablespoon goat cheese
1 zucchini strip
1 squash strip
1 tomato slice
1 eggplant round

Drizzle completed stack with a little of the remaining vinaigrette and serve.