Prepare delicious vegetables with quick and easy cooking techniques. The best way to bring out the flavor of your veggies is to season them with flavor infused oils just before grilling, and then lightly season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper before and after. When preparing your vegetables, cut them to expose the maximum surface area to the heat. This will help them cook quickly throughout. Smaller vegetables, such as mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, baby squash, and thinly sliced onions, need to be threaded on thin metal skewers or placed in a nonstick grill basket to keep them from falling through the grill. Just before grilling, brush the vegetables with a flavorful marinade or extra-virgin olive oil seasoned with freshly ground pepper and sea or kosher salt.
Here are recipes for two of my favorite flavor infused oils, but feel free to build on these ideas with your own favorite herbs, spices, and citrus zest:
Garlic Basting Oil 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 medium garlic cloves, minced to a paste or pressed through a garlic press Salt (to taste) Freshly ground black pepper (to taste) 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes to allow flavors to infuse. Brush veggies with oil or toss in oil before grilling, and baste while they're on the grill. Discard any unused oil — do not save.
Lemon-Herb Basting Oil 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced 2 teaspoons grated zest of lemon 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Salt (to taste) Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes to allow flavors to infuse together. Brush veggies with oil or toss in oil before grilling, and baste while they're on the grill. Discard any unused oil — do not save.
Basil Pesto Sauce – Combine 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, ½ cup basil pesto, freshly ground black pepper. This is a great dressing once veggies are grilled or in a salad.