Balsamic Herb Marinade
While everyone else in Atlanta is either watching football or hanging out at DragonCon, I am just excited that I made it to the local farmers market this morning AND @dksart is on duty for dinner tonight! The weather is perfect for grilling this weekend, and my man is a master on the grill. J Sometimes I get so caught up in my own little world in the kitchen that I forget how amazing it is to have him toss some veggies on the grill.
The market had a wonderful selection of late summer produce today. I snagged some eggplant, zucchini and onions for dinner tonight, as well as some other goodies for meals the in the coming week. I have been working a lot on Saturday mornings this summer, so I have not made it to the farmers market as much as I would like. Being able to go the past few weekends made me realize how enjoyable it is to support the local vendors and get inspired with cooking seasonal vegetables.
Below is the recipe for the marinade that I mixed up for my veggies today. We still have some great herbs in our garden to complement my market selections. I am also a big fan of any kind of vinegar. For some reason I just love that acidic flavor, especially with the extra tang of lemon juice and zest. Besides being extremely healthy, lemon brightens up any dish. Many of the beneficial compounds are in the peel, so don’t forget to add the zest as well as the juice!
I find using my microplane grater is a great way to get the zest and then catch the seeds as I squeeze out the juice.
Balsamic Herb Marinade
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 lemon, zest & juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- 1/8 cup fresh oregano, woody stems removed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
Place all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend for 60-90 seconds or until the bigger pieces are broken down and everything is combined. Pour over your prepared vegetables* and mix together so that all of the vegetables get coated in the marinade. Leave in the refrigerator for at least an hour before grilling. Pass them off to your grill master when ready to cook!
*I sliced 1 large onion, 1 medium eggplant, and 2 medium zucchini.
