So hubby and I have a grill. And we know how to grill.....meat. Just meat. I'm sure the grill could be handy for a number of other things, I just don't know what those things are!!!

Anyone want to share grilling tips and ideas with me?

Thanks!

Amanda

Yes!

I grill all sorts of things--especially vegetables (and fish, and chicken and meat).

At the moment we're grilling TONS of asparagus.

Just mix together a teensy bit of oil, some garlic, some lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss the asparagus to coat. Then throw it on the grill until it is brown and crispy. Delicious!

Any veggie can go on the grill with a bit of cooking spray (or oil, garlic etc). It all tastes delish. I make a grilled veggie orzo salad pretty often. I posted the recipe somewhere a few weeks ago.

My hubby and I love grilled zucchini on the grill. Just slice in 1/4" pieces longways and put in a plastic bag. Add a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper (and garlic powder if you want) and shake well. Put them on the grill until they are limp and have grill marks on them. Deeelish!

I don't think I have ever had asparagus But part of my healthy eating is trying new things! Anything special I should know about it?

I love zucchini, so I will definitely try that one.

Thanks!

Amanda

Grilled artichokes are the best! Steam them like you normally would (30-45 mins.) Cut them in half and scoop out the choke (the fuzzy stuff.) Then brush them with a teensy bit of olive oil or marinade and slap them on the grill until nicely browned on all sides. Hmmm... so delicious and they don't need a dipping sauce this way! Although if you must, 1T of low-fat mayo with a bit of freshly minced garlic (or garlic powder) is good.

I also like marinading portabello mushroom caps and grilling those.

Asparagus is fantastic. In the NW, where I live, it is in season right now--plentiful and sooooo CHEAP. We're eating it practically every night. The thing with asparagus is that you have to break the ends of the stems off. If you just bend a stalk in half, it will snap automatically at the right place. Other than that, it's really easy to work with, because it doesn't need much.

We always do the olive oil (just a little) and garlic thing and either grill them on the bbq or roast them in the oven. You want them to be still slightly crisp, but nonetheless caramelized and crunchy on the outside. Honestly, eating a big plate of grilled asparagus is, at a certain level, the same sort of sensory experience as eating a plate of french fries. They're completely different, of course, but still crispy and yummy and best eaten with the fingers

I bought a basket like thing to put on the grill (it looks like a square wok with holes). It's perfect for doing all sorts of vegetables. I also use it to do a kind of veggie/chicken "stir-fry". I cut everything up, marinate it for an hour or so and then grill it--stirring occassionally so everything browns nicely and then serve over brown rice.

That sounds delicious!! Can I ask where you got the basket? Sounds like something I need to get!

Amanda

I like those grill wok style pans with holes in it. Spray it front and back and then again with PAM grill stuff. Cube veggies about size of 3/4" x 3/4"--I like yellow squash, whole cherry tomatoes, zucchini cubes, little bitty onions or onion chunks, whole mushrooms and toss together in a big bowl with lots of PAM butter and then sprinkle with Chicken Fajita Seasoning, heartily. Place on grill and stir and toss for about 5-10 minutes. Until they are the consistency you like. We like ours barely done. Serve HOT.

There is this one at Amazon--Outset QS70 Square Stainless Steel Grill Wok. It's $19.95 and probably the same one I have. I also saw this for the same price--it's a little nicer: Weber Style Professional-Grade Vegetable Basket (also at Amazon).

Did you know that if you follow the link on the 3FC website (see store on the purple line) directly to Amazon and then place the order that 3FC gets some sort of compensation? Kind of a nice bonus "thank you" from us to 3FC for this great forum!

I've seen them everywhere: KMart, Albertsons, Walmart, etc. They're pretty ubiquitous this time of year. And quite handy.

Dont forget about dessert: i grill peaches and pineapples too. A teaspoon of brownsugar on a halfed peach is devine with some ff coolwhip. Really hits that sweetspot in the summer. Even an underripe peach will taste great after being on the grill.

Favorite veggies are: (i use grill seasoning or olivie oil and balsamic or even worshtershire)
zuchini
asperigus
potatoes
onion
green pepper
leeks
eggplant
mushrooms
(the sky is the limit)

Grilled tomatos are so delicious! I buy the regular large tomatoes, slice them in half and grill flat side down until nice and browned, then turn over so the cut side is up, sprinkle with a little salt, pepper and parmesan cheese (garlic is good too or sometimes I use a small amount of low fat cheddar) and leave them on the grill for a couple more minutes then dig in!

Also corn on the cob is so much tastier when it's been grilled!

Thanks so much for all the awesome ideas! I think I'll head out later today to look for one of those baskets...I already have some chicken and a bunch of veggies that I was going to use in fajitas that I think would be great to start with.

I looked for some zucchini this weekend but didn't find any that looked good


Amanda