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Simplify Summer Meals With Grilled Vegetables
by Nancy Peterson
Grilling summer vegetables can bring out seasonal
flavors, but there's more good news. It also can simplify meal
preparation, reduce utility bills and make short work of clean-up,
said Sandy Procter, Kansas State University nutrition educator.
Learning to grill vegetables isn't difficult, she said.
Procter, who serves as coordinator of the Expanded Food and
Nutrition Education Program in Kansas, recommends using heavy-duty
foil or a reusable foil baking pan with an edge to prevent smaller
vegetables from slipping through the grill grid. She also
recommends spraying the foil or pan surface with vegetable cooking
spray before placing it on the grill.
"Vegetable cooking spray or a small amount of vegetable oil
prevents sticking and makes grilled vegetables easier to turn.
Avoid spraying surfaces near a lighted grill," she said.
Marinating vegetables in an oil-based salad dressing or marinade
also can make them easier to handle and less likely to stick to the
pan, foil or grill surface. Marinades should, however, be reserved
for that purpose and not reused after they have been used for
marinating meat or other foods, Procter said.
Since not all vegetables cook at the same rate, the nutrition
educator also recommends lightly steaming root vegetables like
potatoes or carrots in the microwave before adding them to a summer
vegetable mixture or kebab.
"Kebabs can be difficult to turn, but may be easier to manage when
foods are similar in size and skewered in the center," said the
nutrition educator, who uses inexpensive bamboo skewers (available
at the supermarket) for making kebabs.
Allowing children to make their own kebab or choose the vegetables
they would like to grill increases the likelihood that they will
eat the vegetables, she said.
Grilled vegetables - like summer squash - often retain more texture
than steamed vegetables. Grilling also can enhance flavor - for
example, it highlights the sweetness and natural flavor of peppers.
Fresh-grilled vegetables will be hot and should be handled with a
long-handled spatula or tongs. Grilled vegetables also should not
come in contact with raw meat, poultry or fish, said Procter, who
recommends placing vegetable grill pans to the side of the grill.
Fruits such as apple, mango or nectarine slices can be grilled as
accompaniments for grilled meat, poultry or fish; or for dessert.
"Fire-roasted food products and flavoring mixes are becoming more
common in supermarkets. The same great flavors can be achieved at
home, particularly when backyard chefs are willing to be a little
adventuresome," the nutrition educator said.
Cooking Tip: Easy Grilled Potatoes
Scrub potatoes; slice them about twice as thick as a potato chip
and place them in a resealable plastic bag. Add herbs and a little
vegetable oil or seasoned, Italian-style salad dressing; reseal the
bag, and turn gently to coat potatoes before placing them on the
grill pan.
Turn once during grilling. Cooking time will vary with the type of
grill, potato variety and size of slice. To test doneness, prick
with a fork.
Grill Tip:
While special utensils and equipment are not necessary for grilling
vegetables and most other foods, Sandy Procter, Kansas State
University nutrition educator, reports success using a non-stick
pan with paper-punch like holes. She said it simplifies grilling
delicate foods like fish, or more fragile fruits and vegetables.
Placing the more fragile foods in the pan allows fats and juices to
drain, and also makes foods easier to turn or remove from the grill
grid, she said.
Look for grill gadgets and pans in hardware, kitchenware and
department stores, she said.
K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station
and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the
well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension
offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is
on the K-State campus, Manhattan.
For more information:
Pat Melgares, News Coordinator
pmelgare@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research and Extension
Sandy Procter is at 785-532-1675
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