Grilling isn’t just for meat. It makes vegetables irresistible and mouthwatering. Grab zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, corn on the cob, peppers, onions, mushrooms and even cauliflower at a Harvest Home farmers’ market near you.  Give your vegetables an extra taste to go with that BBQ-ed meat. This is a great way to cut down your labor while increasing everyone’s health. Happy Labor Day to You.

Grilling tricks for deliciousness and health: 

Marinating before you grill.   Marinating adds subtle flavor, brings out the vegetables’ flavor and holds in the nutrition.  Store bought marinade should contain either olive or canola oil.  Olive and canola oil cling to vegetables while they grill preventing them from smoking or flaming which are not healthy.  Make your own marinade, mix with vegetables, and refrigerate for ½ hour to an hour, but no more than 8 hours (or they get mushy).

Just the right size: Cut large veggies like eggplant or zucchini lengthwise or in circles for more grilling surface area. Use skewers for small veggies like cherry tomatoes, tomatillos or peppers. Loosely wrap small veggies or pieces of cut-up veggies in aluminum foil. For more tips, click here

Where to put a veggie on the grill: “If it cooks for 20 minutes or less, put it on the grate directly over the flames. If you need to cook it for 20 minutes or more, keep the veggies away from direct heat.” (E. Karmel: Taming the Flame) 

Our Favorite: Corn on the cob, cooked in the husk Remove the silk from the top of the ear. Soak in a bowl of water with 1 tablespoon of salt for 10 minutes. Put on medium hot grill, close lid, and grill for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.

Maybe all you’ll have to do is give out napkins so sit back and enjoy.

Seriously Smokin’

Recipe: Grilled Veggies for a Crowd

Ingredients:

• 3 red bell peppers, seeded and halved

• 3 yellow squash (about 1 pound total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles

• 3 zucchini (about 12 ounces total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles

• 3 Japanese eggplant (12 ounces total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles

• 12 mushrooms

• 12 green onions, roots cut off or 1 regular onion cut in chunks

Marinade: Mix together

• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil leaves

• ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

To Make :

• Prepare the barbecue grill (medium-high heat).

• Brush the vegetables and coat lightly with marinade

• Working in batches, grill the vegetables until tender and lightly charred all over, about 8 to 10 minutes for the bell peppers; 7 minutes for the yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms; 4 minutes for green onions.

• Arrange the vegetables on a platter. Want grill marks? Don’t shift the vegetables too frequently once they've been placed on the hot grill.

• Meanwhile, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, parsley, basil, and rosemary in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the herb mixture over the vegetables.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Grilling basics:

• Clean grill thoroughly with a brush before using, making sure there is nothing left from the last grilling.

• Lightly brush what you are grilling with either olive oil or canola oil. Both tend to prevent unhealthy smoking or “flaming” while grilling

• Marinade veggies for at least ½ hour, but no more than 8 hours.

• Closing the lid on your grill makes it act like an oven while your veggies lightly char.

• Add extra fresh chopped herbs the last few minutes of grilling or just before you serve your dish to increase flavor.

• Marinade Magic: Soak veggies in different marinades to create new dishes  that help you eat more veggies

• Savory Summer: Especially good if grilling tomatoes. Mix together 2/3 cup of olive oil, 1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar, ½ cup of finely chopped onion (try red onion), 1 Tablespoon of fresh basil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Soak veggies for 2 hours. Excellent on chicken, too

• Slightly Asian: Mix together ½ cup of olive oil; ½ cup of low sodium soy sauce and ½ of lemon juice with 1 crushed clove of garlic. Soak for about an hour. Also good on chicken

• Spicy Orange and Cilantro: Mix together 4 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 2 Tablespoon orange marmalade, 2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro and 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

• Light Lemony: Mix together 2 tablespoon olive oil, 4 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoon of lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic.

Don’t forget the Fruit:  Grilling fruit caramelizes the sugar. 

• Large fruits like peaches, bananas, plantain, pineapple, apples and even melon are best and make a delicious dessert. Try some of these ideas HERE