July 26, 2023

In the summer, we hang outside until bedtime… or until the mosquitos attack! That means cooking on the grill most nights, which I love. We cook almost everything on the grill. When I was growing up, we only grilled the proteins, but now we grill everything, including fruit. In fact, grilled fruit is one of my favorite additions to the proteins we make. Peaches, plums and pineapples are delicious served with pork, chicken, shrimp and even a juicy steak. We’ve tried all kind of fruits and vegetables such as eggplant, cherry tomatoes, beets, cabbage, onions, pears, figs, all the squashes, watermelon, carrots, asparagus, green beans potatoes, corn and even romaine lettuce. The high, dry heat of the grill caramelizes their sugars, intensifying the sweetness, resulting in a smokey caramelized flavor. We’ve never grilled artichokes, so we’re eager to try a new recipe that we found in the DinnerTime Recipe Box for grilled artichokes.

My family has embraced grilling fruits and veggies with enthusiasm. They want to try everything on the grill and it’s been a lot of fun to experiment together. There are several ways to cook on the grill, so we’ve been sampling them all. I want our kids to feel confident trying new foods and new-to-us cooking techniques.

Tricks and Tips for Grilling Veggies and Fruits

Grilling Methods

• Charcoal or gas? Both are great to cook over. Just pay attention to your recipe’s directions for time and heat levels.
• Pre-heat your grill to at least 350-400 °F.  Some recipes call for temperatures up to 500 °F.
• Always clean the grates before cooking.

Prep

• Cut veggies and fruits to a similar size for even cooking.
• Veggies can be cut in advance and marinated or oiled when ready to cook.
• Fruits can be prepped in advance but are best cut just prior to cooking to ensure freshness.

Tools

Skewers

• Best for smaller items like cherry tomatoes or button mushrooms. Many kabob recipes include threading multiple varieties of vegetables with the protein. Just make sure they’re equal in size for even cooking.
• Soak wooden skewers in warm water for 10-30 minutes to ensure they won’t catch fire.
• Spray or brush skewers with oil to avoid sticking.
• Thread the oiled skewers and then brush the vegetables/fruit with a light coating of oil. If you have marinated your selections, you won’t need to brush with oil.
• Thread grape tomatoes on their own skewers and place on the grill last since they cook so quickly.
• Watch your skewers carefully, flipping at least once for even cooking.

Grill Bags

• Easy to use for cut up veggies. They are kind of like kabobs in a bag. You won’t get those cool grill marks, which I like, so I don’t use the bags for items like zucchini strips or peach halves.
• Oil or marinate the veggies and fruit.
• Place in the bag and toss on the preheated grill. So easy!
• Turn the bag at least once for even cooking.

Grill Basket

• An easy method for smaller items like cut onions, peppers, broccoli, carrots, green beans etc.  It’s kind of like sautéing, only on the grill.
• Spray your basket before placing on the grill.
• Let the basket get hot before adding the veggies.
• Lightly brush with oil or marinate your veggies. Make sure they aren’t dripping with oil, so the fire doesn’t flare.
• First, add in those veggies that take longer to cook such as onions and peppers before more tender items like green beans or cut up peaches.

Grill Mats

• If you want to cut down on oils then grill mats are a helpful tool. Think of these as a flat nonstick pan. You can make anything on them, even fried eggs and the food won’t fall through or stick to the grates.
• Place mat on already preheated grill.
• Use these for fruits like plums and figs and smaller veggies like green beans, asparagus, Brussels sprouts etc. so they don’t fall through the grates.

Foil Packets

• Cooking in foil steams your vegetables and fruits.
• This method can reduce the cooking time so I often use it for cut up potatoes and onions which can take longer to cook.
• Fold over your foil to form a double layer.
• Spray or lightly brush with oil unless you have pre-marinated.
• Place the vegetables or fruit in the center, fold over the foil and seal the edges, leaving a little space to allow steam to escape.
• Sprinkle sugar on berries and cook in a foil packet… delicious over ice cream!

The options are endless. Whether you choose skewers or foil packets, potatoes or peaches, experiment with different recipes and fruits and veggies to find your grilling favorites. Remember to “favorite” those recipes in your DinnerTime Recipe Box that you want to make again!

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