When I look at my garden this time of the year, I have lingering tomatoes, lush herbs, and even a bevy of squash crawling about various bushes in my yard. Hooray for mystery volunteer plants! But I know before too long, frost will be curling the leaves on those plants and the harvest will be done. Before that happens, I plan to embrace the harvest here, in my CSA box, and the outdoor markets near me as much as possible. And so much the better when I can spend a bit of time outside while making that bounty dinner ready!
I make hummus at least once a month at my house. Whether we're having it as part of a snack or a meal, it's always popular with everyone and easy to make. With this meal, a combination of grilled and fresh vegetables find a home in a bowl with the aforementioned hummus, tangy Greek yogurt, and kalamata olives. If you had a bit of pita bread, that would also work nicely with this, though it is really quite filling and lovely as pictured here.
If you have other items you'd prefer to include, this is an excellent dish to tweak to suit your tastes, your garden's offerings, or what you have otherwise on hand and want or need to use. It's also a quick meal that is well suited to those days when you have work and school ending and a PTO zoom meeting beginning a couple of hours later! What's more, you can make the hummus in advance and prep the veggies early too and cut the total time later to about 15-20 minutes. This one's a keeper!
Hummus Bowls
- 1 medium zucchini, ends trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 small eggplant, ends trimmed and quartered lengthwise
- 2 peppers, cored and cut in half
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 T. red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
- ½ medium cucumber, sliced into coins
- ½ c. hummus
- ½ c. Greek yogurt
- ½ c. pitted kalamata olives
Place the zucchini, eggplant, and peppers in a shallow dish. Combine the next 5 ingredients (minced garlic through salt and pepper) to make a marinade. Add the marinade to the shallow dish and turn the vegetables to make sure everything is evenly coated. Allow the vegetables to marinate while you prepare the grill.
Prepare the grill for medium, direct cooking. Once ready, place the vegetables on the grill (use a grill plate or pan if worried about the pieces falling through the grate) and grill for 6-8 minutes per side or until the vegetables are cooked through and the edges are a little charred. Remove to the shallow dish and slice into bite-sized pieces.
To assemble to the bowls, place the grilled vegetables in the center and ring the edges with the cucumber, tomato, hummus, and Greek yogurt. Add the olives on top and serve.
- Yields: 2 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes