Grilled Vegetables
Great Grilling Ideas
Summer is a time for celebration, and quite often, it is also a time for grilling outdoors. However, the standard fare - hot dogs and hamburgers - can get old after a while. Just remember that there is a lot more to grilling than those old favorites. Here are a few grilling ideas that will help you make a menu the whole family can enjoy.
Grilled mini burritos are a great and fast choices. Just place shredded chicken, cooked hamburger, sliced steak or seasoned refried beans into a small flour tortilla and add a little tomato and cheese. Roll the result into a sealed package and grill for a minute or two on each side to heat things up. Serve with interesting salsas - there is more to salsa than just hot, medium, and mild, after all. Jicama, grapefruit, and yellow pear tomato salsas are all popular.
Fish tacos go well with grilling, too. Brush a boneless fillet of a mild fish (tilapia is a favorite) with marinade. Onion, cumin, garlic, and lemon is a great choice for the marinade. Then, grill till lightly cooked - about five minutes per inch in thickness. Cut into four by two inch servings and cover with foil and place in a warming drawer or on the back of the grill.
Get a taco bar set up with tortillas in corn and flour, and with all kinds of toppings. Shredded cheese, lettuces, onions, tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, interesting salsas, cilantro, corn, and cucumbers are all favorites. Everyone will have fun building their own fish tacos. If you think you have guests who will not like fish, consider grilling up some chicken breasts or including some refried beans for them.
A platter of grilled and raw vegetables can be included. There are some veggies that grill up surprisingly well, from broccoli and summer squash to endive, cherry tomatoes, and even carrots. Toss veggies in a marinade an hour before you grill them. You can even use Italian dressing as a shortcut on the marinade. Offer dips that go well with your marinade, like citrus and sour cream, or Italian dressing with Parmesan.
Want some exciting dessert ideas for the grill? Try fruit kabobs. Pineapple, plums, peaches, seedless grapes, apricots and more can be brushed with line juice and threaded onto a skewer. They grill quickly - take them off when marks are visible. Brush with a glaze of honey and lime or lemon juice and stand back. These will go very quickly!
