Simpler Living Blog

COOKING, RECIPES

9 Veggies and How to Grill Them (+ 5 Succulent Sauces)

Lehman's
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I’ve cooked a lot of things on my grill but until this summer, I had never done vegetables. I hadn’t really given it a lot of thought, but it makes sense to throw vegetables on the grill, if you’ve already got it going.

Why heat up the kitchen or dirty another pan? Plus it adds a delicious smokiness to the vegetables. Here are some veggies that are just great on the grill – but don’t let this list stop you from throwing your favorites on or whatever you have in the kitchen! Experiment!

Baby Artichokes
Halve a pound of baby artichokes. If needed, use a spoon to remove any prickly choke. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until they are lightly charred and tender. Cooking time should be about 8 minutes total.

Asparagus
Trim the tough ends off a pound of asparagus. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on medium-high heat until they are lightly charred and tender. Cook time should be about 6 to 8 minutes.

Bell Peppers
Halve, stem, and seed 2 large peppers. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on medium-high for about 5 minutes until lightly charred and tender.

Corn
Husk 4 ears of corn, brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper (and a little cayenne pepper if you like spice). Grill on medium-high for about 8 to 12 minutes, until they’re lightly charred and tender.

Eggplant
Cut 1 large eggplant into ¼ inch thick rounds. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on medium-high until lightly charred and tender. Eggplant cooks quickly, and this should only take about 2 to 3 minutes. Watch closely!

Portobello Mushrooms
Remove the stems from 4 large mushrooms. You can scrape out the gills with a spoon if you so desire. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on medium-high heat, until lightly charred and tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Onions
Peel and cut 2 medium onions into ¼ inch thick rounds. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Onions cook quickly, about 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high, so make sure to turn them to get lightly charred and tender, not burnt and sticky, onions.

Zucchini
Slice 1 pound of zucchini, diagonally, into ¼ inch thick slices. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on medium-high until lightly charred and tender. Cook time should be about 4 to 6 minutes.

Summer Squash
Slice 1 pound of summer squash, diagonally, into ¼ inch thick slices. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on medium-high, until lightly charred and tender, about 4 to 6 minutes.

All of these simple veggies serve 4 with the amounts listed. You can use any kind of oil that you want but I recommend olive or canola because they won’t overpower the flavor of the vegetables. Always remember to turn your vegetables or you will end up with burnt on one side and mush on the other. If you are going to grill multiple vegetable kinds, put them on the grill in the order of longest cooking time to shortest. This way they all get done at about the same time.

Spices and Marinades
Now that we’ve mastered the basics of grilling these wonderful summer delights, let’s have some fun with them. An addition of a few extra ingredients before and/or after grilling can add a little pop to your grilled veggies.

Chile-Garlic & Soy
Before grilling, toss the veggies with 4 tablespoons of olive or canola oil, 1 tablespoon each chile-garlic sauce and soy sauce, and ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper. Grill as usual.

Chile-Lime
Before grilling, toss the vegetables with 4 teaspoons of olive or canola oil, ¾ teaspoon each chili powder and ground cumin, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Grill as usual. After grilling, toss with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro and lime juice to taste.

Garlic-Thyme
Before grilling, toss the vegetables with 2 tablespoons of olive or canola oil, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried), ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and freshly ground pepper. Grill as usual. After grilling, toss with 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds, if desired.

Maple Butter
Before grilling, toss the vegetables with 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Grill as usual.

Spicy Orange
Before grilling, toss with 4 teaspoons olive or canola oil, the zest of 1 orange, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ – ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper. Grill as usual.

Grilling vegetables is simple and adds some flair to your favorite summer meals!

Summer Pizza #1: Grilled Pizza at Home!

Once the temperature starts rising, I try to make the most out of my grill. I mean, who wants to heat the house up when you’re trying so hard to keep it cool? Doing more grilling also helps cut down on eating heavy fried foods and gives you a chance to experiment and see your favorites in different lights.

One of my favorites is pizza. You may have never thought of cooking pizza on the grill, but it is so easy, maybe even easier than in your oven. We all know that a wood-fired oven is the best to make pizza in but not all of us have one in our backyards. A grill (gas or charcoal) mimics a wood-fired oven better and the smoke gives it more flavor than your conventional kitchen oven. Summer is also a great time to make pizza because of the variety of fresh toppings found in your stores, farmers markets or your own garden.

Like all things on the grill, there is a trick to making pizza work. A properly heated grill will quickly heat to a lightly charred crust and no dough will fall between the grates. Now here’s the trick: you cook one side of your plain dough first. Then you remove it, flip it over, sauce and top, and then return it to the grill to finish cooking.

Many grocery stores have pre-made pizza doughs or you can make your own. I’ve provided a simple recipe or you can use your own.

Author: Lehman's

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F-115°F)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast (check the expiration date on the package)
3 1/2 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose but bread flour will give you a crisper crust)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

In the large bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer, add the warm water. Sprinkle on the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Stir to dissolve completely if needed at the end of 5 minutes.
Attach a mixing paddle to the mixer. Mix in the olive oil, flour, salt and sugar on low speed for about a minute. Remove the mixing paddle and replace with a dough hook. Knead using the mixer and dough hook, on low to medium speed, until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If you don’t have a mixer, you can mix and knead by hand. If the dough seems a little too wet, sprinkle on a bit more flour.
Place ball of dough in a bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil. Turn the dough around in the bowl so that it gets coated with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place (75-85°F) until it doubles in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or several hours longer, a longer rise will improve the flavor). If you don’t have a warm spot in the house, you can heat the oven to 150 degrees, and then turn off the oven. Let the oven cool till it is just a little warm, then place the bowl of dough in this warmed oven to rise.
Now it’s time to have some fun! Prepare your grill for high direct heat. You’ll need to have a small bowl of olive oil for greasing the grill grates and brushing the pizza. Have all of your toppings prepped and ready to go nearby. Taking the time to prep all of your toppings ahead of time will help you greatly.
Shape your warm pizza dough by flattening it with your hands on a lightly floured surface. Use your fingertips to stretch the dough or hold the dough up while you work your way around the edges and let gravity help stretch it. Let it rest for 5 minutes and then push the edges out again until you have a nice round shape, or close to a round shape, about 12 inches in diameter. Make sure your dough is completely flat. A raised rim will interfere with the grilling.
Once your grill is good and hot, dip a tightly folded paper towel into the olive oil and use tongs to wipe down the grates. Place your pizza on a lightly floured, rimless cookie sheet. (Dust in some cornmeal for that pizza parlor texture if you like.) You can also use a pizza peel if you have one. Let the dough slide off of the sheet onto the grill and close the lid. Let it cook for about 2 minutes.
After your 2 minutes, open the grill and check the bottom of the pizza dough. It should be browned and the top should be bubbling with air pockets. If only half of it is browning, use you tongs to rotate the dough and cook another minute. If the bottom hasn’t begun to brown, cover the grill and cook an additional minute.
Once your dough as lightly browned on one side, use your cookie sheet or peel to remove it from the grill. Make sure to keep the grill covered so that it retains heat. Flip the dough over so that the browned side is facing up.
Brush your grilled surface lightly with olive oil and then lightly sauce your pizza. A lot of sauce will cause you to have a soggy pizza. Sprinkle on your toppings minus the cheese and meat, if you are using them. Cheese goes next and if using, meat goes last. Remember to go light on the toppings or your pizza will be heavy and soggy.
Slide your pizza back onto the grill. For a gas grill, reduce the heat and for charcoal, close the vents on the cover almost all the way. Close the lid and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes or until the bottom begins to char and the cheese is bubbly.
Pull of the grill with a spatula onto a cutting board or another flat surface and allow to rest for a few minutes. Cut and enjoy!
Pizzas on the grill is a great idea for parties. Make your dough rounds and stack them separated by parchment paper. You can keep them in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours before cooking.
Get the kids involved and let them help pick the toppings and put them on. Use this as a time to try new things. They will be more inclined to try new foods if they feel like they were part of the decision.
Need a super easy go-to for those not-so-lazy days where we are rushing around trying to get everybody everywhere and the thought of dinner is just one more chore on the list? Try a thin crust frozen pizza on the grill. Stock up on your favorite thin crust frozen pizza the next time your store puts them on sale. Heat and prep your grill like for the homemade and throw them on. Cook until the bottom is charred and the cheese is bubbly. It will only take a few minutes.