Grilled Summer Veggie Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese

This show-stopper of a dish is fresh, clean and the perfect thing to eat al fresco on a warm Summer evening. It makes a lovely light lunch and is also good served with a piece of grilled steak. The herbed goat cheese also works well as a sandwich spread or eaten with crackers. This recipe makes 2 salads.

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 5 minutes

Ingredients
For the herbed goat cheese:
4 ounces plain goat cheese, softened
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
3 Italian basil leaves, minced
1 small garlic clove, smashed and minced or grated
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the leafy greens topping:
4 ounces baby greens, washed and dried
1/4 small sweet onion, very thinly sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil

For the salad:
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/3" rounds
1 large Summer-ripe tomato, sliced into 1/2" rounds
Olive oil, for brushing
Salt, to taste

Directions
Make the herbed goat cheese: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Store, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Heat your grill or grill pan to medium heat. Arrange zucchini rounds on your work surface and brush on both sides with oil and season with salt. Grill for 4 minutes, flipping once in the middle of cooking. Set aside for a few minutes to cool.

Make the leafy greens topping: Toss together all ingredients in a bowl with your (clean) hands. Set aside.

To plate, arrange grilled zucchini and tomato slices in layers on two serving dishes, dividing equally. Add a scoop of goat cheese to each plate. Add a handful of leafy greens to the top. Serve immediately.