Grilled Vegetables with Tahini Sauce and Spicy Panko

From the July 15 Press Enterprise:

Grilled Vegetables with Tahini Sauce and Spicy Panko
Start to finish: 1 hour
Servings: 8

1/4 cup tahini, well stirred
21/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Kosher salt
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 head broccoli, quartered down the center
1 small head cauliflower, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick “steaks”
6 large carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
Vegetable or canola oil, for brushing the vegetables
Ground black pepper

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the tahini, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the water, lemon juice, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.  Add additional water if necessary to achieve a pourable consistency. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet over medium, heat the remaining 11/2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

3. Add the red pepper flakes and a hefty pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until the breadcrumbs turn golden, about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and set aside.

4. Heat a grill to medium.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Set up a bowl of ice and water and place it next to the pot. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes.   Use tongs to remove the broccoli from the water and place in the ice water. Cool completely, then pat dry with paper towels.
Repeat this process with the cauliflower and carrots, cooking the cauliflower for 2 minutes and the carrots for 3 minutes.

5. Brush all of the vegetables well on both sides with vegetable oil.
Season with salt and pepper and, working in batches if necessary, grill them on direct medium heat, with the grill covered, until they have distinct grill marks on the bottom, about 5 minutes.
Turn them over and grill on the second side until they have distinct grill marks on the second side and are tender, about another 5 minutes.

Arrange the vegetables on a platter, drizzle with the tahini sauce and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top.
Recipe from Sara Moulton for the Associated Press.
Nutritional information per serving: 180 calories; 90 calories from fat (50 percent of total calories); 10 g fat (1.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 210 mg sodium; 19 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 5 g sugar; and 6 g protein.
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The trick to slicing cauliflower into “steaks” is to use only the center of the cauliflower head.
Basically, you trim away the sides, then cut the center into thick slabs.
This always presents leftover little florets that fall away. Sure, you can save them for another meal (and please do!).