Okay, so you’re having a summer party and you’ll be grilling
the expected burgers, hot dogs, chicken, and sausage. But, rather than serve
the traditional sides, such as coleslaw, potato, and macaroni salads, why not
go healthy, meaning less calories and a lot less fat content? Grill mouth-watering
and delicious veggies instead. Your family will love them, and their waistlines
will thank you for it.
First, I recommend buying organic eggplant, zucchini,
mushrooms, peppers, and asparagus, offering a nice selection, both in color and
texture. Wash and scrub the veggies under running water. I like to wash them
with a Natural Veggie Wash, but that is a personal preference. Tap water is
fine. Prepare the veggies, using the recipes below. Once your veggies are ready,
prepare your grill. Clean the grill, and BEFORE you turn it on, spray
the grates with cooking spray. Never spray a hot grill!
All your veggies, including corn on the cob, can be grilled
on medium high. Here is how to prepare and grill each veggie:
Eggplant – Slice
a large eggplant in ½ inch-thick rounds. Toss the eggplant with 2 TB of
extra-virgin olive oil (EVOL) in a large bowl and sprinkle with ¼ tsp. of salt
or Morton Lite Salt with half the sodium. Toss again. Grill until tender and
charred in spots about 4 mins. /side. Fabulous!
Asparagus – Buy a
lb. of asparagus and trim off 1 inch from the tail ends. Toss with 1 TB of EVOL
and ¼ tsp. of salt and a ¼ tsp. of pepper. Grill, turning often until tender -
about 5 to10 mins. So good!
Zucchini – Take 2
lbs. of zucchini and cut lengthwise into slices about ½ inch thick. Try and buy
smaller zucchini so the seeds are smaller. Toss with 1 TB of EVOL and ¼ tsp. of
crushed red pepper flakes and garlic powder to taste. Place on grill, cover,
and cook 3 mins. Flip with tongs and continue cooking about 3 more minutes.
Remove from heat and garnish with 3 shredded basil leaves and a little additional
red pepper flakes. Serve while it is hot! Delicious!
Peppers – I like
to mix pepper colors. Buy 1 green, 2 red, and 1 yellow pepper, or whatever you
like. Cut the peppers into planks and brush w/ 1 TB of EVOL and season with
salt and pepper. Place on your pre-heated grill, cook for about 3 mins. and
turn. Grill turning for approximately 9 mins. Remove from grill and toss with 1
TB of balsamic vinegar. Let stand for 5 mins. and serve. Out of this world!
Mushrooms – Purchase
1 lb. of button mushrooms. Wash them well and trim the stems. Thread the mushrooms
onto skewers. If using wooden skewers soak in water for 20 mins. first. Brush
w/ 2 tsps. Of EVOL, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the skewers on the
grill, be sure to leave enough skewer outside of the grill so you can rotate
the skewers with your tongs. Cook for 4-5 mins. per side until tender and
browned. Place 2 TB of butter or Land 0’ Lakes Whipped Salted butter with only
50 calories and 50 mg. of sodium/TB in a small microwaveable bowl. Add 1 tsp.
of minced garlic (jarred is fine) and microwave in 30 second increments until
butter is melted. Stir in 2 tsps. of minced parsley. Brush the garlic butter
over the mushrooms and serve. Fantastic!
Corn on the cob
–Brush husked corn with 1 tsp. of EVOL. Grill the corn turning periodically
until some kernels char a little and others are light brown about 6-10 mins.
Take off the grill and devour!
I hope you will enjoy these grilled veggies. Serve them with
some of the other grilled recipes from my website https://lisaprincenutritionspecialist.com/healthy-recipes.
They would be especially good with swordfish, lemon
pepper-haddock, chicken fajitas or this month’s recipe for salmon. Grill on and
leave a comment to let me know how they came out, or if you have any questions.
_Lisa.💖
