Live Healthy Live Well

Have you tried grilling vegetables and fruit?  Grilling can bring out the flavors in fruits and vegetables, but watch out as they quickly burn.  It’s important not to get the food too close to the coals (or gas), so it heats before it starts to blacken.

Here are some suggestions from Julie Garden-Robinson, a food and nutrition specialist with North Dakota State University Extension Service, in her online column “Prairie Fare.”  She suggests trying these ideas to help add flavor, color, and fiber to your grilling menu with grilled fruits and vegetables.

• Sprinkle wedges of apple or pear with cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar.  Grill for about five minutes per side.
• Brush peeled, whole bananas with vegetable oil (preferably canola) and add to the grill just until it turns golden about five minutes.
• Cut peaches or nectarines and remove the pit.  Place cut side down and grill.   You can use as a side dish with steak or pork tenderloin or cut the fruit up after grilling and make a salsa by adding fresh herbs, chili peppers, and lime juice.
• Cut vegetables into large, pieces of even thickness and grill.  After grilling,  You can cut into smaller pieces, if desired.
• Cut the top and bottom off of bell peppers.  Remove the core and then cut the pepper in half from top to bottom.  Grill skin side down.
• Brushing vegetables with olive oil and seasonings can add delicious flavor.  Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet and brush with oil and season as you start to grill.  Turn them over and repeat the other side.  Asparagus is delicious this way with some garlic and thyme.
• Marinades can add flavor.  However, sugar-based marinades will cause the exterior of the vegetables to blacken.
• Try this for dessert, cut a ¾ inch deep slit down the length of an unpeeled banana.  Carefully, open the slit to stuff it with 2 tablespoons of chopped dark chocolate or your favorite candy bar.  Wrap the banana in foil and grill for about five minutes on each side.

You can use both moist and dry heat to cook your grilled vegetables, by grilling and then placing them in a bowl or pot.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap to prevent the steam from escaping for five to ten minutes.  This will finish the cooking and keep the vegetables from drying out.

What suggestions do you have for grilling fruits and vegetables?   I hope you enjoy grilling out this season.

Submitted by Pat Brinkman, , Extension Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Fayette County.

Reference: Garden-Robinson, J. North Dakota State University Extension Service, downloaded at  http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/news/columns/prairie-fare/prairie-fare-fire-up-your-grill-menu-with-more-fruits-and-vegetables/?searchterm=Grilling%20Fruits%20and%20Vegetables.