Don’t be a burn and leave your vegetarian friends out this grilling season. If you have friends who are vegetarians or if you are a vegetarian yourself than learning how to grill up vegetables is an absolute must. Before you heat up your outdoor BBQ Islands and grills, consider adding some healthy vegetables to the menu this summer. Follow our advice and you will have perfect veges for you and all your friends and family.
Vegetables are more time sensitive than meat. Meat is more forgiving when left on its own, but you never want to leave your vegetables unattended. Vegetables continue to cook after they are taken off of the grill, so you do not need to cook them until they are really soft.
With vegetables just like meat you must make sure that you clean them before cooking. Before grilling vegetables you should also brush them with a marinade or oil. This will add flavor and help keep them from sticking. It is also a good idea to clean and grease the grates of BBQ Islands and stand-alone grills before cooking. You do not want to season this years treats with last years seasonings.
A lot of people like to use vegetables to cook colorful and flavor packed kabobs on their BBQ Islands. When putting your kabobs together cut the vegetables a consistent size so that they will cook evenly. Drizzle the kabobs with olive oil as well. And make sure that you soak wooden kabobs a minimum of 15 minutes before using them. Remember that vegetables grill fairly quickly and cook best over medium heat.
You can grill just about any vegetable and it’s an extraordinarily simple process. Some of the most popular vegetables to grill include corn on the cob, portobello mushrooms, and eggplant, but you can also grill onions, garlic, tomatoes, and so on. For thicker vegetables like eggplant and potatoes, soak them for 30 minutes in cold water before brushing with oil and grilling. For smaller vegetables like tiny mushrooms you can invest in a grill basket to cook them in.
With built-in BBQ Islands heating up any sauce or marinade to use on your vegetables is easy. If you have a stand-alone grill then heat up your marinades before grilling. Since vegetables are so much more time sensitive than meat, having to leave them unattended while you run into your house to grab something is not a good idea. Marinades and sauces will add a punch of flavor to your vegetables, but they are also great with just a drizzle of olive oil.
Now that you are a bit more informed about grilling vegetables, it’s time to heat up your BBQ Islands and grills, throw on an apron, and get cooking.
I have decided to eat healthier this summer because I have really bad stomach issues and will basically be a vegetarian for a few months to see if it can help me out. My favorite way to cook is on the grill outdoors chilling with my friends and family, so I needed some ideas on how to really do it because I have always just cooked meat on the grill. I was just wondering what you do to prepare eggplant for grilling? Any tips would be very appreciated!
Eggplants are one of the best vegetables you can grill. They hold up well and are just friggin’ delicious. First of all, when you buy your eggplants remember that it is actually best to buy the smaller sized eggplants. Many people buy the large ones because they want more for their money, but the larger ones might have hard seeds that can give off a bitter taste. Smaller eggplants in general tend to be less bitter. Also, don’t buy eggplants with soft spots, they should be firm and they should actually feel heavier than they look. They are pretty easy to prepare once you have the right eggplants. First, wash them well. Then brush them with oil and sprinkle a little salt on them. Cut them into slices that are about half an inch thick, then cook them over medium heat, about 4 minutes on each side. The best thing about eggplant is that you can create many simple and great tasting vegetarian dishes with with it. Try Mediterranean and Asian flavors. You can use any bottled Asian flavored sauce–sometimes I’ve just mix soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and water, then mix it with roasted peanuts, eggplant, and any medley of other chopped and grilled vegetables like bell peppers, onions, and zucchini.