Grillin and Chillin
I don't know about you, but we love to grill at our house especially in the summer. We grill through winter too, but when we get 10" of snow, it makes it a little harder to get to the grill! This post will be focusing on new twists to our old favorites in grilling.
We are going to talk about veggies today. Anyone can throw a steak on the grill. But tasty grilled veggies? That takes talent! Well, not really - just some trial and error. Here's the best of my best trials:
Corn
I savor grilled corn. Here in Minnesota, it's a coveted food at the MN State Fair (the largest state fair in the country, maybe even the world - it's amazing!). How do you do grilled corn, you say? There are several ways to do it. My favorite is the easiest. Soak your corn, in the husk, for at least 20 minutes in water. I just plug my sink and fill it up with cold water and soak them before I'm ready to put them on the grill. They take a little longer on the grill, so plan for at least 30 minutes. With this method, it's really hard to over cook them. If you have a grill with a direct flame, you may want to soak them longer so that they don't burn the outside too much. Make sure to turn them every 10 minutes or so to get all sides cooked evenly. Let them cool a couple of minutes. If the rest of your food isn't ready at the same time, wrap them in a kitchen towel to keep the heat in and keep them moist. Once the outsides have cooled a bit, you can either serve them as is and let people peel them on their own. The silk magically stays on the husk and makes this process much less messy than peeling them before you cook them. You can also peel them for your dinner guests, but the peeled husk makes a nice built in handle. Then you can toss the whole thing in a bowl when your done. Sweetness! I like to use flavored butters or salts on my corn once in a while. Here are some ideas for you to try: chili lime, creole seasoning, season salt, bay seasoning, lemon basil butter.
Cauliflower
I know sounds weird right?
I've been doing a lot of experimenting with this vegetable. I roasted it whole one time in the oven doused in olive oil and seasoning. It turned out...ok. I think it would have been better if I had sliced it, because it took forever and it didn't have that much flavor.
I do really love how versatile cauliflower is. So, for grilling cauliflower try it like this. I took this from another blog. I figure, why recreate the wheel? Or the flower, lol.
There is something yummy about this vegetable when it sears. I'm not sure what it is, but mmm, mmm, mmm! The blogger I borrowed this photo from created her own seasoning, but to make it simpler you can just use what's in your pantry.
Some seasonings to try on this are - lemon pepper, creole if you like spicy, greek seasoning, bay seasoning, adobo or taco if you are having mexican, or good ole Mrs. Dash if you want to cut down on your salt intake.
Asparagus
Now in the past I've always wrapped the asparagus in foil. But you lose the grilling flavor. If you have a mesh mat or veggie screen, use that instead. Also, add some whole grape tomatoes. And maybe some sliced red onion, nice and thin. Toss in olive oil and salt and pepper before putting them on the grill. Grill until the tomatoes are popping - make sure that juice inside is boiling! Let it cool a minute or two and then toss together. Add any other seasoning you like. There is something magical about the hot juice from the tomatoes mixing with the other vegetables. It creates its own sauce in a way. Sooooo good. You can throw in a cheese of your liking if you wish to make it a little creamy - maybe some parmesan, feta, or mozzarella.
Zucchini
I love zucchini. It's so sweet and sorta crunchy. I don't like to cook mine until it's mushy. Al dente is the perfect texture in my opinion. That's why I love to grill or roast it. It won't fall apart as easily as sauteing. For a great grilled zucchini, cut the ends off and slice it lengthwise to have nice long spears. If you have one that's on the smaller side, only quarter it. If it's a really big and fat one, may into 6 pieces. Put them in a ziploc bag and add some fresh squeezed lemon juice, sliced garlic, salt and pepper. Marinate for 20-30 minutes. Then toss on the grill for 10-15 minutes. Yummy goodness!
Peppers
I know the rage has been jalapeno poppers, but not everyone likes spicy peppers. I love those little sweet peppers you can get nowadays. If you don't like the spicy, try some of the mini colored peppers stuffed with some cheesy goodness. Just cut the tops off, and scoop out any remaining seeds and white rind. Mix some cream cheese with shredded cheddar, mozzarella, or parmesan. Throw in some minced garlic (just a touch - maybe one clove), diced green onion or chives - whatever you have at home. Other flavors that would pair nicely are cilantro, parsley, basil...options are endless!
I'm a big proponent of using what's in my pantry already. I like to sub out different things and see what works. I DON'T do this with baking! That never works, but regular every day cooking - you can substitute things like lemon juice for vinegar, onion for garlic, etc. Ok, back to the peppers. Stuff the peppers with your mixture.
If you have a popper cooker, then you can place them in that. If not, a basket or even on their side will do. Some of the cheese might leak out and that ok, especially if you have a charcoal grill. They do come out the best if they can be standing upright so as not to lose all the stuffing. If can't stand them upright, then before you stuff them, slice the peppers longwise in half and then put the cheese on. Grill them that way and you won't lose as much of the cheese filling.
Well, that's probably enough for today. Happy grilling this summer! My hubby just bought a new pellet grill. I will tell you, I wasn't sure it was going to be as good as they say, but I'm impressed! We've had every kind of grill or had food off of them all. I think I love this pellet grill the best! You can smoke and cook on it. The food comes off sooo tasty. Better than charcoal and it's much easier to start and clean. Well worth the few extra bucks. The awesome thing about grilling is that there are so many choices on grills we can all be happy with whatever our tastebuds prefer, right?
We are going to talk about veggies today. Anyone can throw a steak on the grill. But tasty grilled veggies? That takes talent! Well, not really - just some trial and error. Here's the best of my best trials:
CornI savor grilled corn. Here in Minnesota, it's a coveted food at the MN State Fair (the largest state fair in the country, maybe even the world - it's amazing!). How do you do grilled corn, you say? There are several ways to do it. My favorite is the easiest. Soak your corn, in the husk, for at least 20 minutes in water. I just plug my sink and fill it up with cold water and soak them before I'm ready to put them on the grill. They take a little longer on the grill, so plan for at least 30 minutes. With this method, it's really hard to over cook them. If you have a grill with a direct flame, you may want to soak them longer so that they don't burn the outside too much. Make sure to turn them every 10 minutes or so to get all sides cooked evenly. Let them cool a couple of minutes. If the rest of your food isn't ready at the same time, wrap them in a kitchen towel to keep the heat in and keep them moist. Once the outsides have cooled a bit, you can either serve them as is and let people peel them on their own. The silk magically stays on the husk and makes this process much less messy than peeling them before you cook them. You can also peel them for your dinner guests, but the peeled husk makes a nice built in handle. Then you can toss the whole thing in a bowl when your done. Sweetness! I like to use flavored butters or salts on my corn once in a while. Here are some ideas for you to try: chili lime, creole seasoning, season salt, bay seasoning, lemon basil butter.
Cauliflower
I know sounds weird right? I've been doing a lot of experimenting with this vegetable. I roasted it whole one time in the oven doused in olive oil and seasoning. It turned out...ok. I think it would have been better if I had sliced it, because it took forever and it didn't have that much flavor.
I do really love how versatile cauliflower is. So, for grilling cauliflower try it like this. I took this from another blog. I figure, why recreate the wheel? Or the flower, lol.
There is something yummy about this vegetable when it sears. I'm not sure what it is, but mmm, mmm, mmm! The blogger I borrowed this photo from created her own seasoning, but to make it simpler you can just use what's in your pantry.
Some seasonings to try on this are - lemon pepper, creole if you like spicy, greek seasoning, bay seasoning, adobo or taco if you are having mexican, or good ole Mrs. Dash if you want to cut down on your salt intake.
Asparagus
Now in the past I've always wrapped the asparagus in foil. But you lose the grilling flavor. If you have a mesh mat or veggie screen, use that instead. Also, add some whole grape tomatoes. And maybe some sliced red onion, nice and thin. Toss in olive oil and salt and pepper before putting them on the grill. Grill until the tomatoes are popping - make sure that juice inside is boiling! Let it cool a minute or two and then toss together. Add any other seasoning you like. There is something magical about the hot juice from the tomatoes mixing with the other vegetables. It creates its own sauce in a way. Sooooo good. You can throw in a cheese of your liking if you wish to make it a little creamy - maybe some parmesan, feta, or mozzarella.Zucchini
I love zucchini. It's so sweet and sorta crunchy. I don't like to cook mine until it's mushy. Al dente is the perfect texture in my opinion. That's why I love to grill or roast it. It won't fall apart as easily as sauteing. For a great grilled zucchini, cut the ends off and slice it lengthwise to have nice long spears. If you have one that's on the smaller side, only quarter it. If it's a really big and fat one, may into 6 pieces. Put them in a ziploc bag and add some fresh squeezed lemon juice, sliced garlic, salt and pepper. Marinate for 20-30 minutes. Then toss on the grill for 10-15 minutes. Yummy goodness!Peppers
I know the rage has been jalapeno poppers, but not everyone likes spicy peppers. I love those little sweet peppers you can get nowadays. If you don't like the spicy, try some of the mini colored peppers stuffed with some cheesy goodness. Just cut the tops off, and scoop out any remaining seeds and white rind. Mix some cream cheese with shredded cheddar, mozzarella, or parmesan. Throw in some minced garlic (just a touch - maybe one clove), diced green onion or chives - whatever you have at home. Other flavors that would pair nicely are cilantro, parsley, basil...options are endless!
I'm a big proponent of using what's in my pantry already. I like to sub out different things and see what works. I DON'T do this with baking! That never works, but regular every day cooking - you can substitute things like lemon juice for vinegar, onion for garlic, etc. Ok, back to the peppers. Stuff the peppers with your mixture.
If you have a popper cooker, then you can place them in that. If not, a basket or even on their side will do. Some of the cheese might leak out and that ok, especially if you have a charcoal grill. They do come out the best if they can be standing upright so as not to lose all the stuffing. If can't stand them upright, then before you stuff them, slice the peppers longwise in half and then put the cheese on. Grill them that way and you won't lose as much of the cheese filling.Well, that's probably enough for today. Happy grilling this summer! My hubby just bought a new pellet grill. I will tell you, I wasn't sure it was going to be as good as they say, but I'm impressed! We've had every kind of grill or had food off of them all. I think I love this pellet grill the best! You can smoke and cook on it. The food comes off sooo tasty. Better than charcoal and it's much easier to start and clean. Well worth the few extra bucks. The awesome thing about grilling is that there are so many choices on grills we can all be happy with whatever our tastebuds prefer, right?
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