Grilled Eggplant Stacks With Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

Here's another one on the healthy side for you.  This is a very versatile dish.  You could add any other vegetable to the "stacks" to suit your palate. Sliced onions, sliced portabellas, sliced tomatoes.  I happened to have a red bell pepper and a zucchini in my fridge, so went with those two.  Instead of the goat cheese, you could also use crumbled feta or layers of sliced, fresh mozzarella. 

This can easily serve 2, I made my stack a little high (I was really hungry!) and have leftovers for tomorrow.  Are you wondering how you are going to eat this?   Like a child in front of a tall tower of blocks, you knock it down!  Then swirl it around in all of the yummy olive oil, goat cheese, and balsamic reduction - delicious.

Grilled Eggplant Stacks with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar Reduction
Serves 2

1 small to medium eggplant
1 red bell pepper
1 zucchini
Crumbled Provençal  goat cheese (plain can be used too)
Olive oil
Minced garlic
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper

Slice the eggplant about 1 inch thick, lay out on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.  Let sit for about 20 minutes to remove some of the moisture.  While this is underway, pour your balsamic vinegar into a small sauce pan, bring to a low boil, and reduce by about half.  Keep an eye on it and don't walk away - it can burn very easily.  This will give you more reduction than you probably need - but you can always use it again.

Cut the red bell peppers into thirds or fourths - so that you are using the "sides" of the pepper.  Cut the zucchini lengthwise and then in half to give you shorter pieces.

Preheat grill and place all of your veggies on a large tray in a single layer.  Drizzle everything with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced garlic. 

Grill the vegetables until cooked - about 5 minutes on each side.  Stack the veggies on your plate, sprinkle with a little bit more pepper, drizzle the stack and the surrounding area on the plate with olive oil, the balsamic reduction, and finish with the crumbled goat cheese.