Chillin' and Grillin' - Veggie Edition

Quick and Easy Veggies, No Prep Needed!

Corn-  there is a debate about husk on or off, and the use of foil.  I remove the husk and just throw the ears on there.  Getting some browning makes it good, I don't see the need to keep the husk on or use foil as if you need the corn to steam.  You can eat corn raw, like many other foods people don't think of.  Put it on there this way and it'll turn out nice.

Portabella Mushrooms-  just like the corn, all you have to do is put it on there.  Mushrooms really soak up the smoke on the grill.  A little cracked pepper is all you need if you feel compelled to put something on them.

Mixed Veggies-  I have a pan that I use on the grill.  It's scorched all over on the outside, I got it at the dollar store.  You can put any assortment of veggies you want in a pan like that and cover with foil so they steam in there.  Most recently I made bok choy this way.  Friday night I put a mix of chopped white mushrooms, onion, celery, green pepper and broccoli In my pan with some olive oil and butter.  I also used a small amount of the Aldi Poultry Grinder spice which has peppers and salt in it.  Uncovering them for a period of time to get the smoke is tasty!  (ok, there was a little prep on this one)

Roasted Garlic-  take a clove of garlic and put it on the grill until it gets mushy inside.  This goes great as a condiment.  To use just squeeze the cloves and the garlic is yummy gooey and comes right out.

Baba Ghanouj

Here’s what you’ll need to make your delicious eggplant dip:

• 2 medium or large eggplants, about 1 pound
• 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons tahini  or sesame seed paste
• olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
salt, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
• parsley (optional)

Grill the eggplants RIGHT ON THE COALS for about 15 or 20 minutes, turning then over until they are charred and slightly wrinkled. You can have wood chips smoking on the coals with them to get that flavor too!  They're going to look burned, but that's ok. Let the eggplants cool so you can work with them.

Next, split the eggplants and scoop out the inside part, separating it from the burned up skin. Using a fork, squeeze out excess moisture from the eggplants and drain the bitter liquid.

Mash the eggplants with a fork until creamy. Add the finely minced garlic, tahini, and lemon juice while mixing it together. Season with salt and add the ground cumin (if you want). Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Wait, back up...  what is tahini and where can I get it?  Tahini is a vegan sesame seed paste that contains  the seeds and the oil of the seeds.  Some brands may have other ingredients, shop around for one you like.  You can get it at the healthy grocery or neighborhood grocery if yours caters to Middle Eastern shoppers.

Dip chips, pita or veggies into your home made baba ghanouj.  Some veggie grilling links in another post...