You can grill your entire dinner this weekend on the BBQ including your greens and dessert. Here are 5 things you can grill this weekend that you might not have thought of doing.
This is the time of year that the BBQ/Grill in your backyard has gone from the fun, new, party friend, to the boring, predictable, hanger-on you're completely sick of.
You've done it all together again and again and again. Steak, baked potatoes, hamburgers, hot dogs. Steak, baked potatoes, hamburgers, hot dogs. Over and over again. You might get wild and add chicken to the rotation once in a while but you get the idea.
Over the past few years I've taken to throwing everything on the BBQ: shrimp, beef skewers, sweet potatoes and leafy greens. Yes. You can grill a green.
I will grill my entire dinner on the BBQ including the meat, the vegetables, the greens and the dessert. I started doing this because I'm the only one in the house which means I can't be outside taking care of the stuff on the BBQ while someone else is inside dealing with whatever is in the oven or on the stove. There is only me and only me doesn't like running in and out of the house trying to keep stuff from burning in not one but TWO areas of my home.
5 things are in constant rotation. And I would like for you to try them too. At least one of them. And I don't want any excuses. No BBQ? Not a good enough excuse. Light a fire on the road and throw a hub cap over it. Just do what you have to do to try something new.
5 Things You Can Grill
- GREENS
Oh yes you can. I grilled kale just last night and it turned out fantastic. I splashed some olive oil and lemon juice on the kale first, smushed it with my hands a bit to tenderize the kale and then piled it on the BBQ turning it a few times until it started to soften but not go limp.
You can do the same thing with chard.
If you leave the stalks on the leafy portion of the greens will get dry, crispy and charred which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
FANCIFY THEM: Toss the greens with a bit of Thai peanut sauce before serving. I usually just use store bought sauce but if i have time I make this spicy peanut sauce from scratch.
2. SLICED POTATOES
A baked potato takes forever on the BBQ. Cutting a potato into ¼" slices speeds up the cooking time. You can either put them directly on the grill, or what I do - throw them in an aluminum pan (which I use over and over again) with a blob of duck fat and Herb de Provence. They'll get crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
If you don't have duck fat use a half and half mixture of olive oil and butter to cook them in.
FANCIFY THEM: As soon as they're cooked, dress them with this grainy mustard, dill and mayo sauce.
3. CORN
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
There are still a few of you out there that don't grill your corn. You don't need a pot of boiling water to get delicious corn, just throw it on the BBQ next to everything else and turn it when the kernels start to char.
Serve it with butter and salt. Squeeze a bit of lime on top if you're wanting to feel like you're really "cooking".
FANCIFY THEM: Make this grilled Indian Street corn with cilantro, Indian spices and lime.
4. BEETS
Take a bunch of beets, wrap them in a double layer of aluminum foil and put the whole package on the grill to cook for 40 minutes.
When they're cooked the skin will just slide off.
FANCIFY THEM: Slice the beets and top with goat cheese, pecans or walnuts, honey and balsamic vinegar.
5. PEACHES
Grilled peaches are DELICIOUS and all you have to do is stick them on the BBQ on medium/low for about 10 minutes on each side. The sugars caramelize and get sticky and it's heavenly. Sprinkle them with a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg before cooking.
FANCIFY THEM: Serve grilled peaches with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with maple syrup or honey and roasted nuts. Maybe another sprinkle of cinnamon for good measure.
Don't get me wrong ... for all of you who only do steaks, burgers and hot dogs on the BBQ and only WANT to do those things, that's O.K. by me. I smell your standard fare as I walk or run around the neighbourhood at dinner time and it all smells fantastic. It makes me run faster so I can get home and throw something on my own BBQ.
When I run in the winter it's the scent of airborne fabric softener that I smell as I run. It never makes me want to hurry home to do laundry.
→Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←
Kat - the other 1
I did see someone finally mentioned pineapple, but lemon slices too!
Saw a recipe for "grilled lemonade" once. Don't quite remember what all was involved. Other than obviously, grilling the lemons!
Jan in Waterdown
Hi Karen! I’m having no luck reading any comments newer than 2014, even when I click on “newer comments”. I couldn’t see my comment on tea cups either. I’ve noticed that there’s a “load comments” button now instead of them automatically appearing at the end and my problems appear to have started then. I’ve tried shutting down my iPhone and cleared my Safari history. Any thoughts?
Karen
Hmm. Nope, I'm not sure what the problem might be. I had to set the comments to load only when requested because my site has so many comments that it slows down the loading of my site a LOT. ~ karen!
Jan in Waterdown
Using vintage tea cups to serve the peach dessert is absolutely inspired and brilliant! Talk about thinking outside the box.... errr cup?! I’m going through my china cabinet and trying to decide what to do with my mum’s and nana’s stuff and this would work for oh about 4 pretty cups and saucers. What the heck do I do with the rest..... roughly 243 pieces of Royal Albert bone china? Guess I shoulda had kids after all. 🙄
Karen
I use tea cups for everything! They hold the cranberry sauce during Thanksgiving dinner, I put them out with nuts or candies in them, for serving soup. Basically everything but using them for tea, lol. ~ karen!
Kacey
I love that the post focused on fruits and veggies. These are so overlooked when it comes to grilling. Also think you’re such a badass in how you respond to some misogynistic comments. So glad I found you!
Karen
Thanks Kacey! ~ karen
Patricia
Great ideas! The beets.... gotta try that. And the peaches with ice cream in a totally charming cup. Thanks.
Ruth Hirsch
All yum-- and one of the Best meals EVER: Grilled Eggplant w Tahini Sauce aka Eggplant Carpaccio. Here you go:
Eggplant Carpaccio
• 4 medium eggplants
• 4 T tahini
• 4 T Greek yogurt
• 4 t honey (or silan – date syrup)
• 4 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 8 T extra virgin olive oil (I omitted this)
• 4 tomatoes diced small
• 1 small bunch of fresh oregano or hissop leaves
• 1 t crushed garlic
• 1 t chopped hot green chili pepper
• coarse sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
The eggplants can be roasted whole in a BBQ or over a flame, then sliced open after cooling a bit, but I broiled mine for 30 minutes, cut side down. Flatten the eggplant flesh with the back of a fork, mushing it up a bit.
The toppings were spooned on here, there and everywhere in the order listed above. For international flare the eggplant halves were laid upon Taftoon Persian bread, purchased at a small grocer on Somerled near Cavendish. This dish is meant to be served warm.
Geoffrey B from Floradee
You forgot Barbie Dolls.
TL Walker
"Kick it up a notch"! let me guess...being married sucked so you played the Sims...now that you are single real life is better?
Inspired.
Karen
Well, I don't actually know what the Sims is, so nope. Didn't play it. And being married didn't suck at all. Loved it. Love single too, but loved married as well. ~ karen!
Agnes
Hey lady...the last 4 images on this page aren't loading! Just funny little icons there.
Erica
My aunt makes cheesecake on the grill.
JoburgGirl
Some great ideas, thanks! For me summer is just beginning on my side of the world. Time to dust off the old BBQ (or "braai", where I come from) :)
Happy days!!!!
Karen
Where do you come from that a BBQ is called a braai? Just curious. And congratulations on moving into summer! ~ karen
Greer
Thats us in South Africa - we BBQ most of the way into winter too!
Karen
Unless it's a blizzard outside, I'll still BBQ. The only issue is it takes a long longer for the BBQ to warm up. ~ karen!
Mindy
Our kitchen has been torn up all summer, so I've become quite the BBQ master, but I've yet to try beets. I'm all over 'em....
Feral Turtle
I am doing pickled beets this weekend as I am chicken sitting in my new chicken daycare (KFC) for my travelling neighbors (It`s finally done) and figured the chickens would like some beet tops. I am definitely going to try your beet recipe. Pinning!! :)
Jeni
You people will grill anything - stay off my land.
Geoffrey B from Floradee
LOL
Kari
I love the charred chard, lol. I want to serve that and then laugh like the nerd I am when they ask what it is. :p I've never done potatoes on the grill but that sounds goooooood...
Laura Bee`
Oohhh, you didn't say it, but I can spot goat cheese a mile away. I have to try the beets!
I have no idea why we don't bbq more. Well, I do actually. The bbq freaks me out a little (but I love food from the grill) And hubby is a chef & can do great things, but doesn't understand what the big deal is with bbq's. So unless I ask him - he does not bbq! Sigh...
valerie
Tip for cleaning the BBQ:
Before you turn the flame on use a can piercer type can opener and run the V part between the grate openings. This clears all the old burnt food off and it drops down. Now turn the flame on and everything vanishes, eventually.