Balsamic Marinated Grillwiches

 
Grilling is a quintessential warm-weather pleasure- and vegetarians and vegans should not feel left out or sadly limited to veggie burgers and dogs.  Marinated seasonal vegetables and tofu thrown on the grill are tastier and more versatile. Last night, we tried them on sandwiches with rosemary & olive oil focaccia.

Balsamic Marinated Grillwiches
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 red bell peppers, quartered
1 eggplant, sliced into thick strips
1 block extra firm tofu, divided into think slices
1 loaf rosemary & olive oil focaccia, sliced down the center and then portioned into four sandwich size sections
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette (recipe follows):
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp crushed basil 
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Combine ingredients and whisk or shake in a cruet vigorously to combine.

Directions:  In a large mixing bowl, toss vegetables and tofu with the balsamic vinaigrette marinade.  In a large tupperware, place eight stacks of the marinated eggplant, tofu and red pepper and let sit for 20-30 minutes while grill is heating.   Grill the vegetables around 3-5 minutes per side- the tofu will be ready to turn earlier than the bell peppers and eggplant will.  Meanwhile, heat the focaccia slices in an oven on 300- you can also grill on indirect heat while the vegetables & tofu are cooking if you have a large enough grilling surface.  Once the bread is toasty, spread the bottom halves with vegan mayonnaise, layer the tofu & vegetables, top with a handful of peppery arugula and cut in half.  I had to hollow out the center of my focaccia loaf before slicing and toasting in order to make more room for the toppings.