BBQ Season is Here!

The warmer weather is here which means its time to fire up your grill and enjoy some easy and delicious meals. This week I’ll be sharing some recipes for how to enjoy your vegetable box items grilled!

 

Five Tips for the Perfect Grilled Vegetables

Source: Eating Well

 

1. Oil the Vegetables Lightly

Vegetables dry out when they hit the heat without a little oil. Before putting the veggies on the grill, toss them with a light coating of oil. Don't use too much- dripping oil causes flare-ups and greasy flavors.

2. Know Proper Cook Time and Prevent Burning

Some vegetables take a minute or two to cook while others take longer. Denser vegetables, such as potatoes, will take the longest to cook. Keeping them over too-high heat for too long will char them on the outside while keeping them raw on the inside. To prevent burning, sear vegetables over high heat, then move them to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking. You can also precook them and just give them a few minutes on the grill to get some color on the outside.

3. Use a Skewer or a Grill Basket for Small Pieces

Cherry tomatoes, zucchini rounds, and mushrooms are great on the grill, but they're a little unwieldy. To keep smaller vegetables or pieces of fruit from rolling around or falling though the grate, pierce them on a skewer or use a grill basket.

4. Cut Smaller Pieces for Quicker Cooking

How you cut your vegetables dictates how quickly they will cook. Cut them into smaller pieces if you want your vegetables to cook more quickly (and use a skewer to keep them on the grill). Cut round vegetables like onions or eggplant into thin "rounds"-you'll get more surface area, which allows for a crispier outside, and because they're thin, they'll cook quickly. Cut long vegetables like squash or eggplants into planks (long, thin pieces) for faster cooking, or cut them in half for low and slow cooking over medium grill heat.

5. Try Cooking in Packets

Don't feel like babysitting your vegetables on the grill? Try cooking them in packets instead. This method works great for dense vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, or other root vegetables. Simply place a 24-inch-long piece of foil on the counter and lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange thinly-sliced vegetables on a single layer, slightly overlapping, on the foil. Leave a two-inch border on all sides. Fold foil over and pinch the edges together, making a packet. Place the packet on the grill. Cover the grill and cook until the vegetables are tender (about 12 to 15 minutes, for potatoes). When you open a packet to check doneness, be careful of steam.

 

Recipes:

 

Grilled Asparagus in Foil

Created by: Sara Welch

Throw these foil packs on the grill or bake in the oven for an easy side dish!

 

Ingredients:

1 pound asparagus stalks trimmed

8 tsp butter cut into small pieces

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 TBSP chopped parsley cooking spray

lemon wedges for serving - optional

Directions:

1. Preheat a grill to medium high heat or an oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Coat 4 large squares of foil with cooking spray.

3. Divide the asparagus stalks evenly among the squares of foil.

4. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper evenly over the asparagus stalks.

5. Place 2 teaspoons of butter in each asparagus packet.

6. Fold the foil over the asparagus, sealing completely on all sides.

7. Grill the asparagus packs for 15 minutes, flipping once halfway through.

8. Alternatively, you can bake the asparagus for 15 minutes.

9. Open the foil packets carefully, then gently stir to make sure all the asparagus is coated with the butter and seasonings.

10. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges if desired.

 

Balsamic Thyme Grilled Red Peppers

Created by: Spices in my DNA

These peppers are super easy to make, only 6 ingredients, and over-the-top delicious. They make the perfect side dish or appetizer with some crusty bread! I love adding these to a cheeseboard or appetizer spread as well. They’re great for so many things!

 

Ingredients:

For the peppers:

5 bell peppers, quartered or cut into large strips (you can use any colour you have)

1 1/2 TBSP olive oil

1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper

For the marinade:

2 TBSP balsamic vinegar

2 TBSP olive oil

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme, plus extra for serving

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Place bell peppers into a medium bowl and add the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Grill peppers for 4-5 minutes per side, or until grill marks appear and desired doneness is reached.

2. Meanwhile, make the marinade. In a medium bowl, whisk together the balsamic, olive oil, dijon, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Once peppers are finished grilling, immediately toss them in the marinade and let sit for 15 minutes or so at room temperature to absorb all of the flavors. Sprinkle with extra fresh thyme and serve!

 

Maple-Glazed Grilled Carrots

Created by: France C

These grilled carrots have a lovely sweet and smoky caramelized flavor, and are a nice change of pace at a summer cookout or dinner party.

 

Ingredients:

1 lb carrots, peeled and trimmed

1 TBSP olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 TBSP maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.

2. Brush carrots with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Place carrots on the grill, perpendicular to the grates. Reduce heat to medium and cook, turning them regularly, until carrots have started to caramelize and are cooked throughout, 14 to 18 minutes. Move them to indirect heat and continue cooking if they start burning.

4. Brush carrots with maple syrup and grill 1 minute more before transferring to a plate. Serve immediately.

Tip: Use carrots that are no larger than 3/4-inch thick, or cut larger carrots in half lengthwise for even cooking. One pound should yield 6 to 8 medium carrots.

 

Grilled Radishes with Green Beans

Created by: Sylvia Fountaine

A tasty healthy side to grilled chicken, beef or fish.

 

Ingredients:

4 cups radishes, cleaned, trimmed and cut to similar size

2 cups green beans, trimmed.

1 vidalia onion sliced in 1/3 inch round disks

Dressing:

1/8 cup olive oil

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

1/3 cup Fresh Tarragon or more for garnish

1/8 cup chopped Scallions

1 tsp prepared horseradish

1/2 tsp salt plus more to taste

1/2 tsp cracked pepper

1/2 tsp mustard seeds (or sub 1 tsp whole grain mustard)

Directions:

1. Pre heat grill to medium.

2. Toss veggies in a bowl with drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper.

3. Grill on preheated grill – MED heat, covered for 10-12 minutes, turning every 4 minutes or so until onions and green beans are tender. I used a grill pan to prevent pieces from falling in-between the grates.

4. In the meantime, make the dressing. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.

5. Remove veggies from the grill and place in a bowl or on a platter. Let cool slightly.

6. Toss with dressing and serve at room temp, or serve leftovers chilled, the next day.

 

 

Recipes are curated by Lauren