Something Different for the Grill - Vegetables!

Based on the barrage of television ads and cooking shows, Summer seems to be grilling season. In the North, at least. In Florida, the heat approaches triple digits and the humidity does its best to catch up, so down in the South we tend to spend as much of the summer avoiding more heat by firing up the grill. There are, however some poolside cookouts where the grill will inevitably win the battle. So are hamburgers and hot dogs on the menu? Or have you stepped it up a notch and made some Chimmichuri marinated steak along with butter-basted grilled lobster tail? Either way, you'll need a side dish. How about some vegetables?

I know, vegetables tend to be an afterthought when the word "cookout" is mentioned. Generally cooks will think of their best meat dish or even get creative and grill dessert (grilled peaches with vanilla whipped cream, drizzled with cane syrup). But vegetables get the short end of the skewer (stick... get it?) when it comes to grilling. Just a couple of weeks ago we went to a casual waterside party and I shocked the crowd when I arrived with a pan of chopped veggies, a bottle of olive oil and a couple of grill baskets. But the veggies were well received and one of the most complimented; they were perfect with burgers and potato salad!

So here are a couple of tips on grilling veggies:

• Pick veggies that are easy to cook on the grill (foods that don't take all day to cook)- squash, zucchini, asparagus, red onion, green onion, mushrooms, red bell pepper (skip the green beans, brussels sprouts, carrots, etc.).
• Make sure you get a good variety of colors in your veggie selection (red, green, yellow, brown)
  
• Chop in nice, thick pieces so your veggies will not get overcooked.
• Use a grill basket for easy grilling (and your food won't fall through the grates).
• Before grilling, toss with extra virgin olive oil. When finished, season with Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
• For no-fuss cooking, grill your veggies for just a few minutes and then transfer to a pan to finish in the oven.
  
• Serve hot or even at room temperature!
  

Next time you're invited to a cookout, shop in the produce section. With the large number of healthy eaters and flavorful seasonal ingredients, your dish is sure to be a hit!

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