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Nothing beats outdoor grilling on a warm summer night.  When you are grilling your meat, don’t forget the vegetables. Grilled vegetables go well with grilled meat or fish and make wonderful left-overs. My favorites are broccoli, yellow squash, zucchini and red peppers, mushrooms, and onions. One of many great things about grilling vegetables is that they are done in a jiffy.  Sweet potatoes take about 12-15 minutes to cook on the grill; less dense vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, snap peas, summer squash, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and corn take just 5-7 minutes, depending on how tender you like them.

The best thing about grilled vegetables is that they are delicious. Even the non-vegetable eating family member may find that they like grilled vegetables.  The slight charring brings out the sweetness and adds a nice smoky flavor. All that’s needed is to first toss the vegetables in a little olive oil and salt. For more flavor, follow the steps below with one of the marinade recipes from the bottom of the page.

Steps for marinating vegetables:

1. Cut vegetables to desired thickness and put in bowl.
2. Pour marinade over vegetables and stir to coat evenly. You only need enough to slightly coat the vegetables.
3. Marinade for 30 minutes before grilling.

Top 4 Ways to Grill Vegetables:

1. Use a grill basket. Line the basket with aluminum foil to prevent drippings from the marinade.  If you do not have a grill basket, fold a 24-inch long piece of heavy-duty foil in half and fold up and crimp the edges to create a lip and prevent spilling.
2. Make kabobs. Cut the vegetables in thick, chunky pieces so that they stay on the skewer.  Smaller vegetables like cherry tomatoes work well on kabobs.  Pineapples also work well on skewers and are delicious on the grill.  When grilling both meat and vegetables at the same time, make separate skewers for each, as the vegetables do not take as long to cook and will need to come off first.
3. Wrap in a foil packet. Use a 24-inch long piece of foil and fold in half.  Open the foil and on one half arrange thinly sliced vegetables in a single layer, slightly overlapping.  Once you have assembled the vegetables, fold the foil in half over top of the vegetables.  Fold over and pinch the edges of the bottom and top together to create a tight seal.  Close the grill and cook until the vegetables are tender.  Use caution while opening, as the steam is HOT.
4. Put directly on the grill. Cut in thin, long pieces so that the vegetables do not fall through the grates. Try to cut your vegetables the same size so that they will cook uniformly.  Also, keeping vegetables thin will maximize the amount of surface area in contact with the heat allowing them to cook quickly and to get that crispy outside.  Corn, either shucked or unshucked, cooks well on the grill.  If you choose to shuck the corn, just lightly brush on some olive oil and a little salt.

Here are a few marinades to get you started. Depending on the amount of vegetable you have, you may have some left over. You can either make half of the recipe or store the leftover in the refrigerator for next time.

Lemon Soy Ginger

Great on broccoli

• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

Balsamic Dijon Vinaigrette

Great on carrots, peppers, zucchini, and yellow squash

• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sherry Vinaigrette

Great on mushrooms and onions

• ½ cup sherry vinegar
• 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• ¾ cup olive oil

For me, vegetables used to be an afterthought to my meal where I would just throw in a few baby carrots to eat with lunch, or have a side salad with dinner. With all of the health benefits linked to a high- vegetable diet, vegetables should be taking the center stage at mealtime. A delicious way to incorporate fresh vegetables as a main dish is with a Mediterranean Three Bean Salad. Not only does this colorful bean salad include a variety of fresh vegetables, but it is also a great source of protein. Add in a fruit salad with strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries as a side and you have a light and nutritious summertime meal. An added bonus to this type of meal is that many of the ingredients are in season during the summer months which will enhance the flavor. Check out this blog post for more tips on buying in-season produce.

Mediterranean Three Bean Salad

Recipe adapted from Genius Kitchen

Recipe Information:

• Serves 6-8
• Ready in: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Salad

• 1 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz. can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• ½ red onion, chopped
• ½ green pepper, chopped
• ½ cucumber, peeled, seeded & chopped
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped

Dressing

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, to taste
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine kidney beans, Great Northern beans, black beans, corn, tomato, onion, green pepper, cucumber, and parsley in a large bowl. Mix well.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper to taste.

Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.

Nutrition Information per Serving:

• Serving size- 1 (243 g) (about 6 servings total)
• Calories-335.8
• Carbohydrates-48.5 g
• Fiber- 14.3 g
• Protein- 15.6 g
• Fat- 10.5 g
• Sodium- 190.2 mg

My favorite vegetable is carrots by a long shot – raw, cooked, in soup, whatever.  I am always looking for new ways to make sure I get my carrot fix. This is one of my favorite soups. You can eat it hot or cold. It has some interesting ingredients (lemongrass and Kafir lime leaves) that you can find at most Asian markets or you can leave them out. You can play around with different toppings such as toasted almonds or pumpkin seeds. You can also make this soup with butternut squash in place of the carrots or use half carrots and half butternut squash.

Carrot Ginger Soup

Serves 4

Serving Size: 1 ½ cup soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30-45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

5 cups rough chopped carrots

1 large onion, chopped

½ teaspoon salt

2 stalks of fresh lemongrass use the bottom white part only, chopped or you can use 2 t lemongrass paste (optional)

4 cups low salt or unsalted chicken or vegetable stock

1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste (found in the International section of the grocery store)

1 Tablespoon grated ginger (more to taste)

2 Kafir lime leaves (optional)

Juice from 1 lime

Plain yogurt for topping

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onions, lemongrass (if using), and salt and cook until tender over medium heat (about 15 min.). Do not let the mixture brown, adjust heat as needed or add a bit of water.
2. Add the stock, curry paste, ginger, and lime leaves (if using). Cook for about 20-30 minutes until very tender.
3. Remove the lime leaves.
4. Puree with a handheld blender, in batches in a blender, or in batches in a food processor.
5. Add the lime juice and adjust the seasoning.
6. Top with yogurt and serve with lime wedges.

Serving size – 1 ½ cups

Vegetable – 1 cup

Fruit – 0

Calories – 100

Carbohydrates – 14 grams

Fiber – 3 grams

Protein – 4 grams

Fat – 3 grams

Sodium – 123 mg (sodium will vary based on the broth you use)