Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Grilled Vegetable Recipes For Main Courses and Side Dishes

In an effort to be more health-conscious, I've been trying different grilled vegetable recipes. And for a moment (a very brief moment) I could actually see myself being vegetarian.

Without question, the process of cooking vegetables over fire or hot coals adds another dimension to their flavor. The skin or flesh of veggies, when slightly charred, is nothing like the steamed versions. There's no comparison. Even the particular qualities of certain vegetable are intensified when grilled.

Take, for example, onions. When grilled, the heat causes the sugar in onions to carmelize which makes them sweeter. The same thing happens with sweet bell peppers.

In fact, the recipe I'm featuring here involves grilling organic sweet bell peppers, red onions, and garlic, combined with spaghettini. Simple, but full of flavor - which is just how we like it. (Note: I usually include grilled zucchini squash (aka Italian squash) in this recipe, but I forgot to buy some. Uuugh...)

Grilled Vegetable Recipes

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 25 min

Total Time: 45 min

Ingredients:
  • 4 cups of cooked Spaghettini
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 cup of sun sugar cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup of sliced black olives, drained
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbls red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbls butter
  • 1 Tbls garlic powder
  • 1/2 Tbls garlic salt
  • 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
  • Kosher salt, enough for a pinch or two
Directions:
  1. First, put on a pot of water for your pasta. Then get your charcoal started. When they're ready, you will set-up your grill for medium high, direct heat - about 375F. And you want a 2 heat zones, one with the heat and a safe zone without heat to put the peppers and onions when they're done.
  2. While the coals are heating up, rinse and core your bell peppers and then slice them in fourths. If the bell peppers are small, just slice them in half. Slice your red onion 1/4-inch thick.
  3. Brush the pepper and onion slices with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with a pinch or two of Kosher salt.
  4. When your grill is ready, cook the peppers and onions for about 20 minutes. Turn the peppers as often as necessary to keep them from burning. A little char is one thing, burnt is another. Since the onions are more delicate, you only want to turn them once. So don't place them on the hottest part on your grill. You want to give them time to cook.
  5. Once the peppers and onions are done, set them aside. When they have cooled, slice them into slightly larger than bite-sized strips or pieces.
  6. Prepare your spaghettini as instructed on the package. After draining, take 4 cups and combine with 2 tablespoons of butter.
  7. In a large skillet or pot, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil and cook the cherry tomatoes for about 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, add one cup of the grilled vegetables and heat both tomatoes and grilled vegetables for another 2-3 minutes.
  8. Next, add the spaghettini to the skillet and all remaining ingredients, except black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Cook until spaghettini is thoroughly reheated.
  9. When spaghettini and combined ingredients are done, serve with Parmesan cheese and fresh cracked pepper. Enjoy!

More grilled vegetable recipes coming soon, so stay tuned!



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