Whether you’re a vegetarian who wants to use a barbecue grill for easy dinner preparation or you’re an experienced outdoor cook who just wants to use the grill for both meat and side dishes, the barbecue is a perfect place to cook vegetables. Grilling vegetables is a great way to incorporate healthy foods into your barbecue menu while getting excellent flavor.
Choose Your Veggies Wisely
Almost all vegetables do really well on the grill, along with many fruits, but there are some you should steer clear from when grilling. Veggies like cucumbers, celery and leafy greens don’t often grill well because they have such high water content.
Use Vegetables For Sides Or “Meats”
The grill can help give vegetables a very smoky flavor most people enjoy greatly. You can use your grilled vegetables as side dishes and quickly cook your entire meal on your barbecue grill. However, you can also use the grilled veggies as your “meat” in a vegetarian menu.
By placing grilled vegetables on focaccia bread and adding mozzarella cheese and sauce, you can have a very healthy, meatless dinner. Vegetables that work best for this type of meal include zucchini and eggplant. Simply cut them into very thin slices, grill them and enjoy on bread!
One of the most popular vegetables people enjoy grilling and using as a meat substitute is the Portobello mushrooms. They can easily turn into meatless “burgers” when cooked on the grill and often have a texture very similar to a hamburger. To get a great grilled mushroom flavor, soak the mushroom in a marinade for an hour before throwing it on your Cobb Grill.
When you place the mushroom on the grill, start by putting it on a cooler side of the grill so it will start to cook inside but not allow the outside of the mushroom to burn. When the mushroom appears as if it’s cooked inside, sear it on the hot side of the grill to complete your dish.
Create A Veggie Pasta
If you want another creative recipe idea for grilled vegetables you’ve cooked on your barbecue, simply place your grilled veggies on pasta or rice. You can add in grilled asparagus to pasta and have a delicious dinner in only minutes.
Be Sure To Oil Your Grill
Don’t forget you might need to prep your barbecue a little more before cooking vegetables on it. Vegetables have less fat which mean they can stick to the grill quickly. If your grill is very clean and very well oiled, you shouldn’t have a problem.
Be sure you heat your grill to a high temperature and clean it well with a grill brush before using it to grill vegetables. To oil your bbw grill, simply use a paper towel (folded into a thick square) to rub vegetable oil over the grill’s grates. If you want to ensure you don’t get burned, grab the paper towel with tongs and use the tongs to guide the paper towel over the grates for the oiling process.
