I saw a quote this week that said “The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little.” (anon) Let that marinate for a minute. Maybe while you are marinating your meat for the grill this weekend. Two birds, one stone, same action. Are you giving in to this temptation? Honestly, before my move and my new job, I was. This quote really resonated with me and stayed with me. With all of these positive changes, walkable city, challenging yet inspiring job and of course new perspective, I dont feel like I’m settling now. Although I believe that this often sneaks up on us and isnt always directly related to us. It can frequently be reflected in our actions and words also. One thing I have reflected on since recent horrific events is that many of us are settling when we allow discrimination to occur on our watch. Many much more qualified folks have written poignant pieces about this. So I won’t go into more. But remember this when we try to walk softly through this world. Often, we settle because it is comfortable and we are afraid. Are you settling? What change can you make today so that you will no longer? Let me know what you discover. (Disclaimer: Any decisions or changes you make as a result of this are your own choosing and I cannot be held responsible.)
Im not relating this dish to this quote, although I could. Instead I will simply lay out a delicious grilled side for summer holiday weekends and pair it with an album that works equally well for lazy summer nights and higher energy soirees. Enjoy!
Vinyl: Arctic Monkeys – AM
Grilled Antipasto Crostini
Prep Time – 20 minutes
Cook Time – about 10 minutes
Total Time – 30 minutes
Serves (as a side) – 4
Ingredients
- 3-4 Patty Pan squash (summer squash)
- 1 roasted red pepper
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 baguette or loaf of crusty bread, sliced
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 oz of chèvre
Instructions
- Preheat your grill. Slice the squash into 1/4 inch slices. Lightly brush the avocado oil on both sides of the squash. Grill about 2-3 minutes per side until crisp-tender. Remove from the grill and cool so that you can touch the squash. Prior to turning off the grill, lightly toast your bread of choice. This should only take about 2 minutes per side.
- Chop the roasted red pepper and cooled squash. Remove the leaves from the thyme and lightly chop. Add this to the vegetables as well as the EVOO, shallots and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spread the chèvre generously on the toasted bread and top with the grilled vegetable mix. Serve with a chilled rosé and enjoy!
Notes
Feel free to throw all other manner of summer vegetables onto the grill and add to this crostini. Grilled onions, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and asparagus would be delicious!