Grilled Vegetable Napoleons With Spicy Scallion Vinaigrette

3.2 from 5 ratings

Whenever we think of Asian ingredients like bok choy, we tend to think of Asian recipes. But, I was actually interested in something quite different. I had two goals in mind — to create a completely original main course with bok choy, and to see what would happen if I grilled this lovely green veggie. That’s how this main course came to be. Red peppers, zucchini, balsamic-glazed tofu, shiitake mushrooms, and baby bok choy are grilled before being assembled in cheerful napoleons. The succulent morsels are then drizzled with a spicy scallion vinaigrette, adding a dose of heat as well as zingy, green scallion flavors. A hearty and protein-filled main course, these grilled vegetable napoleons pack a lot of flavor in every bite — smoky, deep, spicy, robust, crunchy, it’s a carnival for the taste buds! Best of all, it’s a super healthy dish… Time to fire up the grill! See all appetizer recipes. Click here to see A Vegetarian Grilling Menu.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 scallions, roots and top 3 inches of green parts trimmed, sliced thinly
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
two 14-ounce packages extra-firm tofu, preferably organic, drained, cut into twelve 3/4-inch slices and drained on paper towels
1/3 cup olive oil
3 large red bell peppers, quartered, stemmed, and seeded
two 8-inch-long baby zucchini, cut lengthwise into twelve 1/4-by-4-inch slices
24 small shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
6 baby bok choy, halved lengthwise through the core
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Place the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
Heat the vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When the vinegar starts to bubble at the sides of the pan, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 6-7 minutes until reduced by 1/3. (The vinegar will look dark and syrupy and there should be 1 ½ tablespoons of vinegar left in the pan.) Remove the pan from the heat, transfer to a small bowl, and set aside.
Divide up the tofu slices on 2 large baking sheets in a single layer. Brush both sides with the reduced balsamic vinegar. Then, lightly brush with the olive oil. Set aside.
Place all of the vegetables on the baking sheets. Lightly brush on both sides with the remaining olive oil. Set aside.
Preheat a gas grill on high heat or fire up a charcoal grill. (Your grill surface will probably not be large enough to grill all the vegetables in one time.) Grill the peppers, then the zucchini, mushrooms, and tofu. Grill the bok choy last.
Grill all of the vegetables and tofu until well charred on both sides. This will take from 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your grill and the intensity of the heat. For the mushrooms, start grilling them cap side down. For the bok choy, the edges of the leaves will get charred before the rest. (Don’t worry about it, you’ll trim these before serving.) Grill the bok choy on each side so that grill marks appear on the heart of the plant. Once grilled, lay the vegetables and tofu back on the baking sheets in a single layer and season with salt, to taste, as they come off the grill.
Place the bok choy on a cutting board, trim off the charred leaves, and discard. Slice the bok choy crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Place 3 slices of the red peppers skin side down in the center of each plate.
Top each pepper slice with a slice of zucchini, then a slice of tofu. Drizzle with half the vinaigrette. Top each tofu slice with 2 mushrooms and finish with a little mound of the chopped bok choy. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Season with plenty of black pepper and serve immediately.