The Fresh Grilled Summer
July 26, 2010 by Marci
During the summer, our food gets simple. I don’t prepare casseroles or soups, heavy foods or dishes that take a lot of prep time. It’s summer. I want fresh and I want easy. So, our menus usually consist of fresh, raw veggies and veggie salads or grilled veggies and grilled meat. Those foods are easy, fresh and healthy with the added benefit of not having to heat up the house by all the cooking!
We love to be out in the back yard playing ball or just sitting relaxing while the grill is doing the work. On our grill, you’ll find whatever meat was on special from our local meat market (which stocks fresh, local grown meats with no additives or hormones) and a variety of veggies.
image source MarthaStewart.com
Among our favorite veggies to grill are zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, peppers, onions, asparagus, and my new favorite……….beets! Yes, beets! I’m not a fan of beets on the whole, but grilled beets are awesome. I just slice them and toss them with olive oil and salt and throw them on the grill until the inside is tender and the outside is slightly crunchy. Oh my! They are salty and sweet. Crunchy and soft. All at the same time. My kids even like them! Some veggies are just better on the grill. We would have never eaten beets before. Another veggie that no one in my family will eat unless it’s grilled is asparagus. My husband won’t even let me cook it in the house. But, my family devours those little stems right off the grill.
image source MyRecipes.com
So, this week, don’t heat up the house and spend all day in the kitchen. Head out to the backyard with the family. Throw a variety of veggies on the grill. Try something new. Pair them with your favorite cut of meat. See what veggies your family will eat grilled.
Don’t know how to grill veggies? I just toss mine with olive oil and salt and throw them on the grill. I’m more of a trial and error kind of cook. If you want more of a how to, here are two guides to help:
- Cooks Illustrated’s Great Grilled Vegetable Guide
- AllRecipes.com Grilling 101
Menu Plan Monday
I’m linking up this week, as usual on Monday’s, to I’m An Organizing Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday. So, I’d better let you in on my menu. Can you guess what’s on it? My fridge is stocked with lots of fresh veggies from my parent’s garden. I plan on grilling peppers and onions and zucchini, along with chicken and ribeyes and pork chops. I have cucumbers and tomatoes that will go great in a pasta salad. My basil looks good, so I’ll throw some basil in with some tomatoes, mozzerella and olive oil for a little caprese salad. The farmer up the road has some sweet corn that I can’t wait to try. That will pretty much be our meals for the week. So easy and fresh. And so good!
What does your family like on the grill?
