LEMON GARLIC VEGETABLE ROAST

I wanted to make the miso vegetable dish I had created in August of 2020, but this was for Passover. Miso is made from soybean, which some Jews do not include during Passover (There are many rules that some follow and some do not follow for Passover, for many different reasons 🙂! If you are curious, here is part of the reason why.). I decided to give a lemon vinaigrette of sorts a try. Though I still love the miso vegetable creation, this one turned out to be a delightful lemony way to celebrate the fresh and bright vegetables of spring. A great dish for company, or cut the recipe in half for fewer people. The extra vinaigrette could be used as a salad dressing or marinade. ​

INGREDIENTS
For the vegetables:
2 medium eggplants, washed and sliced into thin rounds, placed into a medium bowl
3 large zucchinis, washed and sliced into thin rounds, placed into a separate medium bowl
1 sweet onion, peeled and sliced into thin rounds, placed into a small bowl
1 pound small portobello mushrooms, cleaned, destemmed, sliced into medium pieces, placed into a separate small bowl
3 bell peppers, yellow and red, washed, cored, and sliced into thin rings, placed into a large bowl
For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme, plus extra for garnish
Olive oil cooking spray

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Prepare all of the vegetables according to the directions listed above, placing each veggie into its’ own bowl. 

Add the vinaigrette dressing ingredients, lemon juice through thyme, into a small blender. Blend until smooth. 

Pour vinaigrette into each vegetable bowl, making sure to have enough for all veggies. Toss each vegetable well with the vinaigrette. 

Spray two rimmed roasting pans with olive oil spray.  Layer all the vegetables, keeping them somewhat separate for easy preparation after the cooking, onto prepared roasting pans. Roast for about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

In a large, round casserole dish, layer one slice of the eggplant, zucchini, and onion, repeating in a circle around the perimeter of the dish. Toss peppers together and place in the middle of the dish. Add mushrooms in a circle between the peppers and other veggies. Sprinkle with thyme. This can be served immediately at room temperature or stored in the refrigerator for a few days and brought to room temperature. Makes 20 ½-cup servings.