Jun 18, 2008

Healthy, quick grilled vegetables

With fresh vegetables available either from my garden or at local Farmer's markets during the summer, we tend to eat a lot more vegetables. During the heat of the summer, I also like to cook on the grill. Here's one of my favorite recipes. It's hard to say what vegetables I use in this recipe, because this is a great way to use up bits of "this and that" from the fridge. My preference is zucchini (cut in 1 inch chunks), green peppers, onions, radishes*, and green beans. I've also put in corn on the cob (cut in 1-2 inch pieces), summer squash, carrots cut in 1/4 inch slivers, asparagus, canned whole potatoes, and more. Whatever you have for fresh vegetables in your fridge will work! Grilled Vegetables 1 1/2 cups fresh vegetables, per person 1 tbsp Italian dressing, per serving Pinch of oregano, black pepper - per serving 2 sheets of alum. foil, 18 inches long - per serving Pam Spray *If you've never tried cooked radishes, try them! For this recipe, slice just a bit thicker than you would slice for a salad. They have a wonderful mild flavor when cooked. Cut vegetables in uniform chunks, slicing those that cook fastest a bit larger (zucchini, summer squash) and those that cook more slowly in smaller chunks (carrots). Lay the 2 sheets of foil on top of each other, shiney side down. Lightly spray the center of the top sheet with Pam Spray. Place one serving of the cut vegetables mixture in center of foil. Wrap as you would a birthday present -- pull two sides up, fold foil seams together 2-3 times, fold up ONE end side, folding and sealing 2-3 times. DO NOT fold foil tightly around vegetables -- they need some room! Just make sure you folds are sealed tightly. In open end of this "envelope" of vegetables, pour italian dressing and sprinkle herbs. Seal this end closed, making sure to fold at least 2-3 times. Place packets on medium grill and flip every 5 minutes for a total of 15-20 minutes, depending on how much crunch you like in your vegetables. Remove from grill, use kitchen shears to cut off one end of the packet and pour onto plate. YUM! That made me want vegetables for tonight's dinner!

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