Turn the grill on high – add some market-fresh veggies and your new favorite side dish or summer salad awaits!
We are approaching summer next week, and my kitchen is already feeling the heat – so it’s time to cook outdoors!
Many of my favorite foods can be cooked on a grill; charcoal or gas.
Cooking outside keeps your home from getting filled with smoke and keeps your kitchen cool. The high heat of a grill also helps food retain moisture and creates flavors different from indoor kitchens.
Because the grill locks in more moisture, you’ll be less inclined to reach for the butter or other condiments to jazz up your food.
Vegetables come to life on a grill.
Heat works to caramelize the natural sugars and juice in vegetables; combined with smoky grill flavor they equal mouthwatering taste.
Grill baskets are not only helpful for very smaller vegetables (they won’t fall through the grates), they let you tilt and flip the contents! Each piece does not need paid attention to, from a spatula or tong. Farm fresh, crisp veggies are favored – grilling will simply blacken them in spots (caramelization) – yet leave the interiors with a terrific crunch.
I simply coat the vegetables with a little garlic oil, heat the grill basket (this is key!) on the grill until at least 400 degrees – then add the veggies. With the hood closed, the veggies will grab some natural smoke flavor* and start to color. Give them a toss and grill a few minutes more. If the grill is really nice & hot, the veggies are done in 5 minutes.
This recipe teaches you how to grill veggies and make a delectable Yogurt – Tahini Dressing to drizzle on top.
Simple is best with farm-fresh ingredients!
For a main course salad, poach shrimp – I’ve used fresh Florida Pink Shrimp (never frozen.) They add a subtle flavor, wonderful color, and protein needed for a well rounded meal. I have been known to sneak into my main course salads some grains – and with this salad I like to add some rice penne (gluten free.) After the pasta cooks, some yogurt dressing is immediately added to “grab” the flavors. See some tips the recipe.
Whether round or cylindrical, the French Breakfast radish (pictured) is known for its vibrant coloring which graduates from a vivid fuchsia-red to bright white at the tip. Topped with edible, leafy greens, French Breakfast radishes are very crisp and offer a mildly spicy flavor. Most of the radish’s nutrition is in the leaves.
Visit your local farmers’ market, buy from the people who grew the food – and be enthusiastic to cook for yourself, friends, and your family.
Enjoy,
Karen
