Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Delicious Veggie BBQ Recipes - Great For Any Time Of The Year

By Stephen Daniels

Everyone knows that vegetables are an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet. Unfortunately, many people have a pre-conceived idea that veggies taste bad, or that they lack flavor. In fact, numerous adults and children do not eat even close to the daily recommended amount of veggies because of these pre-conceived ideas, or because they have no idea how to prepare them to bring out all their flavor.

Whether you prefer to cook on the stove top, in the oven, or even on the barbecue using an outdoor grill or smoker, there are lots of innovative ways to cook vegetables. One unique product called the Rib-O-Lator allows grill chefs to prepare veggies using a rotisserie method.

Unlike traditional rotisseries, the Rib-O-Lator can effectively be used for cooking nearly anything. The system utilizes four trays that mount on your grill's existing rotisserie rod. Each tray has a solid bottom and side walls to hold food in place and prevent tasty juices from dripping away. This design makes the Rib-O-Lator perfect for preparing vegetable dishes. It is also very simple to use.

Grilling baskets, or skewers to kabob your food are other excellent BBQ cooking options for veggies. Excellent for smaller pieces, grilling baskets let you flip or stir food without worry of it falling through the grill. Vegetable kebabs are wonderful when you have larger chunks of veggies to work with. The following recipe is just one of the delicious, easy dishes that you can make on the BBQ.

Rotisserie Eggplant Mixed Grill

2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar 2 TBSP Fresh Basil, Chopped 2 TBSP Fresh Oregano, Chopped 2 TBSP Fresh Parsley, Chopped 6 Cloves Minced Garlic 1 TSP Salt 1/2 TSP Black Pepper 12 Mushrooms (try Crimini for extra special flavor) 1-1lb Eggplant 1 Red Bell Pepper 1 Yellow Bell Pepper 1 Red Onion 18 Trimmed Asparagus Spears (for kebabs, you can substitute Zucchini)

1. Cut the onion and bell peppers into wedges. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, and slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick rounds.

2. In a large zippered plastic bag, combine olive oil, vinegar, basil, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix well. Add the onion, eggplant, bell peppers, mushrooms and asparagus (or zucchini). Seal the bag tightly and shake to make sure that the marinade covers all the vegetables. Place the bag in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, turning occasionally.

3. The grill should be preheated on high. If you are using the Rib-O-Lator, it should be in place during the heating stage, and the trays should be lightly greased. If you are using vegetable baskets, it is advisable to lightly grease the basket and place the veggies inside it. Otherwise, you may opt to skewer the vegetables. Wooden skewers should be soaked before making the kebabs to keep the wood from burning.

4. Once the grill is heated, put the vegetable mixture in the trays, and turn on the grill's motorized spit or rotate the spit manually. Allow the vegetables to cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they are tender. If using a grilling basket, you will need to flip your veggies halfway through cooking, and skewers could require even more attention since they are closer to the open flame. Depending on how hot the grill is, less cooking time may be required.

Another great way to add even more flavor to vegetables and other grilled foods is to use pre-flavored wood chips (think flavors like apple, pecan, cedar, hickory). Easily available in stores and via the web, these wood chips create even more rich, unique taste sensations during grilling. Rotisserie attachments as well as flavoring accessories are excellent options for creating delicious, healthy veggie dishes on the BBQ.

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