Summer Grilled Vegetables

               June 17th is National Eat Your Vegetables Day.  

I feel like I'm on a life long quest to incorporate more plants and vegetables to my diet.  I really like vegetables - I just don't always make time to prepare them.  Most days, I'm more likely to grab a granola bar instead of taking the time to chop vegetables for a salad at lunchtime.  And when I'm in a time crunch for dinner, the vegetables are the first thing to get cut from the menu in an effort to keep the meal on schedule.  Vegetables definitely don't get placed at the priority level that they deserve in this house.

So, in honor of National Eat Your Vegetables Day - I'm sharing one of my favorite vegetable recipes.  Grilling vegetables coaxes out every bit of deep, roasted, sweetness from any vegetable. The grill adds a nice char and smoky flavor to each deliciously addicting bite.  Can you tell that I'm a big fan?

I may not grill vegetables often so when I do - I make A LOT - enough for at least a few meals.  I arrange my grilled veggies on a big platter and we eat them as a main course or as a side dish with chicken, mea or fish.  Then we eat them as sandwiches with a little ricotta cheese and avocado.  And if you've never tried Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad with grilled vegetables - you're missing out.  😋

My grill isn't huge so I have to grill my vegetables in batches.  It's definately a time commitment but totally worth it in the end.  And if I haven't done enough to convince you that grilled veggies need to be the highlight of your summer menus - this marinade is also great on chicken. 😅

Summer Grilled Vegetables
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
⅓ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice 
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
¾ teaspoon pepper, divided
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and quartered lengthwise
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise
2 summer squash, halved lengthwise
1 red onion, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices 
1 medium eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices

Combine parsley, mint, lemon juice, garlic, crushed red pepper, 6 T. oil and 1/4 t. each salt and pepper in a bowl.

Brush bell peppers, zucchini, squash, onion and eggplant with remaining 1/4 c oil; sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 t
salt and 1/2 t pepper.

Place peppers, zucchini, squash, onion and eggplant on the oiled rack; grill, covered, until the vegetables are tender but still hold their shape, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

Transfer the grilled vegetables to a serving platter. Serve with the parsley-mint sauce.

I chose an eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, red onion and a red bell pepper to grill but you can sue almost any vegetable that floats your boat. 🧅🫑🍆 But if  corn, asparagus, brussels sprouts or cauliflower are more your speed - give those a try.  

​Ciao!

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