They always say we should eat more vegetables. And whether "they" are doctors, nutritionists or the infamous veggie marketing people from Portlandia (apparently  celery is the new thing), making an all-vegetable dinner that's both delicious and good for you isn’t too hard at this time of year.

To wit: ratatouille, that heralded peasant dish whose humility has remained intact despite the bright lights of big-screen movie stardom. This colorful medley is usually cooked into a semi-stew, but this version pays homage to summer's bounty by deconstructing the components and tossing them with a luscious tomato vinaigrette.

When you’re keeping it so simple, flavor and freshness are key. Shop local and pay attention to the quality. Ratatouille may be humble, but when it's done well, it is as good as it gets.

Preheat a grill to medium-high.

Drizzle the vegetables with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables until charred and tender, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the vinaigrette. Slice the tomato in half and rub the cut side over the holes of a box grater, using the skin as a guard and discarding it once the flesh has been grated. Whisk the remaining ingredients into the tomato pulp and season with salt and pepper. Toss the warm vegetables with two-thirds of the tomato vinaigrette and serve with additional vinaigrette on the side.

Patrick W. Decker’s life revolves around food. Always has, probably always will. As a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and past member of the culinary teams for Food Network stars Rachael Ray, Sandra Lee, Marc Forgione and Bobby Deen, he now works on digital production for FoodNetwork.com, CookingChannelTV.com and Food.com in NYC by day and develops recipes at his home in New York’s Hudson Valley by night. You can see what he’s up to by following him on Twitter & Instagram at @patrickwdecker or visiting his website at patrickwdecker.com.