Grilled Veggie Spread

When it's too hot to cook, our family loves to grill. This is one of our favorite summer recipes, which can be enjoyed warm or cold, with vegetable scoops (carrots, asparagus, celery, etc) or homemade pita chips. It would probably be pretty good in place of hummus on veggie wraps or other such things. This recipe is very versatile and can be adapted to your tastes and what vegetables you have on hand.

Grilled Veggie Spread
6 small eggplants
3 large red bell peppers
3 large red onions
~10 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling (or olive oil spray)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat grill to about 400 degrees (medium-high temperature).
2. Wash eggplants, and cut into half inch slices (round or long strips). Wash peppers, remove stem and seeds, and slice into six to eight strips (about 1.5 inch wide). Peel onions and slice horizontally into half inch rounds.
3. Lay out eggplant, peppers, onions, and garlic, and spray with olive oil (or brush with a pastry brush if you don't have a spray) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip to other side, spray and season with salt and pepper.
4. Grill vegetables about 3 minutes per side, until they have dark grill marks, and are soft and cooked through (the times will vary somewhat for each vegetable and depending on the thickness of the slices).
5. Place vegetables in a food processor (in 2 batches if necessary). Add the tomato paste and pulse until chopped. Pour in olive oil to taste (and any additional seasoning) and continue blending to desired consistency (I like my dip pretty chunky, some prefer it smoother).

Makes approximately 3 cups.