Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini Stacks

The condo that we live in does not allow for us to have a grill on our patio. I love grilled vegetables, so for years I was always bitter when I came across a recipe that called for grilled vegetables. My sister-in-law was kind enough to give me a La Creuset Grill Pan for my birthday. From November on, I pretty much grilled anything that came into our kitchen. 

A few years ago, our friend Josh served us a dish of grilled eggplants with a balsamic-tomato relish. Inspired by this, I scoured the internet for a similar recipe, and settled on making something close to this one from Cooking Light. I didn't want to have the balsamic reduction incorporated into the vegetables, because the star of Josh's recipe was the relish, so here is the modified recipe:

Ingredients
Eggplant Stacks
1 large eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices, part of the skin removed
2 medium zucchini or summer squash, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
1/2 cup goat cheese
2 tablespoon  chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoon  chopped fresh oregano
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Tomato-Balsamic Relish
1 cup diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Start with the tomato-balsamic relish: Place the diced tomatoes in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, and set aside a room temperature to let the flavors blend.
2. Place eggplant slices in a colander. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss well. Let stand 10 minutes. Rinse slices thoroughly; dry with paper towels.
3. Brush eggplant and zucchini with oil; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Place them onto a hot grill for about 8 minutes or until tender, turning once.
4. Meanwhile, combine cheese, basil, and oregano.
5. To assemble stack, place 1 eggplant slice on a plate; top with one-fourth of cheese mixture. Lay two strips of zucchini side by side; top with one-fourth of the cheese mixture, and repeat, ending with a slice of eggplant. Let stand 5 minutes.
6. To serve, place a spoonful of relish on top of each eggplant stack.

Makes 4 servings