All I can say is thank goodness it’s summer! My husband and I recently gutted our entire kitchen, leaving me without a stove or oven, so the backyard grill has become my new cooking companion, and it will remain that way for at least another month or two.
Although I love to cook, it’s rather difficult to do when you no longer have a prep space and half your dishes are packed away. Over the past two weeks, I’ve thrown together a few simple dishes for the grill, and they’ve turned out to be pretty tasty meals. Here are two I’d like to share with you.
Grilled Veggie Sandwiches
Slice zucchini, onion and sweet peppers (big enough so they don’t drop through grill rack) and place in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season liberally with cracked black pepper, seasoning salt and garlic powder. Toss to coat and place veggies on grill over medium heat.
Take remaining olive oil in bowl and drizzle over the interior of two buns. Briefly grill the buns over indirect heat. Take the buns off the grill and line with your favorite cheese (I used Havarti) and some fresh basil. Top with the grilled veggies and enjoy!
By the way, these grilled veggies are also great tossed into pasta, diced and added to scrambled eggs, served in a quesadilla or eaten plain as a side dish.
Grilled Cherry Tomatoes
Take two sheets of aluminum foil and place them on top of each other. Fold the edges up. Drop in a handful of cherry tomatoes and generously drizzle with olive oil. Add minced garlic, salt, a blend of dried Italian herbs and cracked back pepper.
Fold edges of aluminum foil together, creating a tightly sealed packet. Place on grill over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes. Carefully open packet (watch out for hot steam!). Serve the tomatoes over slices of rustic bread with cheese, tossed into pasta or on a juicy burger or steak.
Keep in mind, these are just ideas of what you can do with fresh produce and a grill, so feel free to tweak them as you see fit. I tried them with great success and hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Here’s to summertime grilling, whether you do it for fun or out of necessity!
Liz Russell
Associate Editor