5 Vegetables You Should Be Grilling (but probably aren’t)

There is no better time of year than right now to go overboard with vegetables. With fresh veggies popping up on every roadside stand across the country, it’s safe to say that if you’re not eating enough produce now, you’re not doing it right! Here are my favorite 5 vegetables that you should be grilling, but probably aren’t.

Some of my favorite memories from childhood are of hot summer nights, dinners eaten on the back deck because it was too hot inside, and cartwheels on the grass immediately after scarfing down whatever deliciousness landed on my plate. Full stomach and mosquitoes be damned.

We ate grilled veggies pretty regularly at my house. Zucchini, yellow squash, onions and even mushrooms made an appearance on a weekly basis. Smothered in garlic, balsamic and olive oil and cooked to charred perfection – that was my childhood norm.

So if grilled squashes are a revelation, drop a line in the comments and let me know – I’ll send you my favorite recipes!

This article is all about the veggies I came to grill later in life…and my favorite ways to serve them.

And in case you need it, here is a seasonal produce guide from the USDA…it gives you a run down of what is in season at any time of the year!

5 Vegetables You Should Be Grilling This Summer

Romaine

Of all of the vegetables you should be grilling, but aren’t, most people think this one is the weirdest!

The first time I ate grilled romaine was on a girl’s trip to Maine. We sat at the window of a tiny Tex-Mex restaurant and peopled watched while we ate grilled Romaine salads and marveled at the fact that we hadn’t thought of this before.

The trick to grilling Romaine is simple: pay attention. Cut the hearts lengthwise down the center. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle liberally (can you drizzle something liberally?), with good olive oil. It does not take long to go beyond grill marks and find yourself at charred incoherence so if you are a beer-in-the-coozie kind of grill queen, load up ahead of time.

Of course, you could go classic with a grilled Romaine Caesar, but nostalgia brings me back to the first time, every time.

The First Grilled Romaine Salad
serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 hears of Romaine, washed
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup pickled red onions*
• 1/4 cup feta, crumbled
• handful fresh chives, chopped
• handful fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, halved
• olive oil
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preheat grill. Cut Romaine hearts lengthwise, straight through the end. Brush with olive and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill lettuce, cut side down, for just a few minutes to get grill marks and allow the leaves to just wilt.

Arrange Romaine halves on 2 plates, cut side up. Top with tomatoes, avocado, pickled red onions, feta and fresh herbs. Serve with lime wedge and a drizzle of olive oil.

*To make the pickled red onions: combine 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 cup of warm water in medium bowl. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve. Add 1 red onion, thinly sliced. Let sit at room temperature 1-2 hours before using.

Corn

Have you ever heard of Elote Loco? Elote Loco is a traditional Mexican street food. Grilled corn smothered in mayo, fresh cheese and spices. The first time I tried it was not in Mexico…it was at a high-end restaurant in the south end of Boston. And despite not being on an exotic vacation at the time, I was sold on the idea.

This is my healthier take on Elote Loco, and the reason that you should grill corn this summer.

Avocado-Crema Grilled Corn
serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 ears of fresh corn, husked
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
• 1/4 avocado, mashed
• 1 tablespoon Cotija
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder

Preheat grill. Use a brush to spread olive oil over each ear of corn. Sprinkle generously with garlic powder and salt. Place corn on grill, turning every couple of minutes, until charred, ~10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine Greek yogurt, avocado, Cotija and lime juice in a small bowl. Stir to combine.

Once corn is done, remove from grill, drizzle with avocado crema sauce, sprinkle with chipotle powder and cilantro and enjoy!

p.s. if you ever feel overwhelmed when deciding what diet is right for you, what foods you SHOULD be eating and what you shouldn’t, or you just can’t find a way to make healthier eating (like eating veggies on the reg), a part of you daily routine…read this: Back to the Basics.

Green Beans

If every parent mastered grilled green beans with some sort of creamy dipping sauce, every child on earth would have no problem eating their veggies.

I love the salty, sour, nutty combination of flavors in this recipe. And I LOVE the surprise on people’s faces when I bring grilled green bean salad to the table. #foodiewin

(and yes, you are seeing a pickled vegetable and creamy cheese trend).

Grilled Green Beans with Almond Vinaigrette
serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2- 3/4 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 of a shallot, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup feta, crumbled

Toast almonds on the stove top over medium high heat, 3-5 minutes until golden brown (toss often). To make the vinaigrette: whisk together almonds, shallot, tarragon, vinegar, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.

Preheat grill. Toss beans with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and salt. Grill 5-7 minutes, turning often, until charred and tender. *If you have a grill basket, this is a great time to put it to work.

Transfer beans to a large bowl, toss with vinaigrette and feta. After that, simply serve and enjoy!

Cherry Tomatoes

This is one of those stupid simple recipes that will change the way you think about tomatoes, once and for all. P.s. if you are one of those people who doesn’t like tomatoes for some reason (texture? raw taste? childhood trauma?), girl, try this!

Grilled Tomato Bruschetta
makes 8 bruschetta

Ingredients:

• 1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes, on the vine*
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonaded
• 8 thin slices of French baguette
• 1 clove of garlic, sliced in half

Preheat grill. Toss tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grill over high heat, turning occasionally, until tomatoes are blistered and charred, ~3 minutes.

In a small bowl, gently toss tomatoes and vinegar. Set aside.

Next, brush baguette slices with remaining olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill 1-2 minutes per side on high heat until bread is toasted and you can see grill marks. Remove from grill.

Once cool enough to handle, rub bread with garlic. Spoon tomatoes on top and serve.

*If you can’t find cherry or grape tomatoes on the vine, you can skewer the tomatoes or use a grill basket so that they don’t fall through the grates.

Scallions

Scallions, aka green onions, are an easy garden vegetable. Don’t get me wrong…I don’t grow them myself (I fully admit to not having a green thumb). But I find them all season in local garden stands and I use them in everything. I love the subtle onion flavor without the eye watering pungency of a large onion!

When it comes to vegetables you should be grilling, but probably aren’t, scallions are an easy “a-ha” moment.

Charred Scallion Green Goddess Dressing

Ingredients:

• 3 scallions
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
• 3 tablespoons fresh chive, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
• juice from 1 lemon

Preheat grill. First, make sure to clean scallions to remove any dirt from root end. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill 2-3 minutes on high heat, turning occasionally, until charred. When cool enough to handle, chop.

In a high speed blender or food processor, blend together scallions, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, anchovy paste, 2 tablespoons chives, parsley tarragon, and 2 teaspoons lemon juice, stopping and scraping down the sides occasionally, and blending until the dressing turns green. Taste and blend in the remaining tablespoon chives and 1 teaspoon lemon juice, if desired. Season the dressing with freshly ground black pepper.