Zucchini or Summer Squash
Grilling these
vegetables over an intense heat loosens excess moisture concentrating
the delicate spring flavor and aroma of the squash. I like the way it
grills the inside thoroughly without burning the outside skin, making it
super delicious.
Peppers
Even without the
sun, we like grilled peppers. After seeding, I cut them into halves and
put on the grill. My children like wrapping them in foil after drizzling
with olive oil. The blend of the locked in moisture, flavor and aroma
makes the whole side dish powerful and very appetizing you sure would be
asking for more.
Endive and Raddichio
Endive
and radicchio are bitter by nature and are tempered by the intense heat
of the
grill while cooked with the leaves together. But this makes me
one of my best salads. I just leave the lettuce in wedges for a more
composed presentation and chop the leaves before tossing the rest of the
ingredients together. I toast walnuts in a dry pan until fragrant and
make a fantastic nutty, citrus vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese to offset
the bitter lettuces in my grilled vegetable salad.
Eggplant
Full
of fiber and antioxidant and promoting phytonutrients, I too consider
eggplant a staple and a very effective meat substitute. Simply brush
slices with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper then grill. We sometimes
rub minced garlic all over the eggplant for a fabulous garlicky tasting
side for dinner.
Asparagus
Fresh asparagus
brushed with a little sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, and pepper gets its
very best flavor and crunch as it is grilled cooking the asparagus
quickly over high heat. Since the stalks easily fall down between the
grill grates, we make it fun lining them up and use toothpicks to put
them together in two places, top and near the bottom, or I use my grill
pan.
Potatoes
Potatoes are amazingly
comfortable. I partially cook mine by simmering them before grilling so
they only need to be seared over direct heat to create a golden brown
crust. Grilled this way, the potatoes will have almost the texture of
French fries by the time they're done. Who wouldn't enjoy golden on the
outside, fluffy and cakey on the inside?
Have you tried combining
slices of just the available veggies you have in your pantry, put them
in a grill pan, toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar then
grill for a
couple minutes on each side? Trust me; you will not only get veggies
nicely marked by the grill, but a taste that you will keep relishing
time and again.
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