Grilled vegetables
(and how to grill them)
At the moment you are reading this, I am doing a little detox week. Twice a year I give my body a reset with the 7-day detox from my friends at Vitaviva. For seven days, I walk past my beloved Nespresso machine without looking, and I also don't touch the bottle of wine. This time, I'm going to take it a step further and go completely vegan. Just to see how I react. That means eating even more vegetables than I already did. Grilled vegetables are really my absolute favorite. Do you have the vegetable drawer full and don't know what to put on the table tonight? With these simple grilling tricks, you can serve something delicious tonight.
1. Bell pepper
Halve the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Sprinkle the inside with salt, a bit of coconut blossom sugar, and freshly ground black pepper. Grill them on your stove until they are blackened. Let them cool, remove the skin, and drizzle with red wine vinegar and good olive oil.
2. Onions
Slice the onions into thin rings and sauté them in some butter. Cook the onions until they are translucent and soft. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Place the onions in a large baking dish and drizzle with a bit of honey, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bake in the oven for at least 25 minutes until they start to caramelize. Delicious with a good steak or shrimp, but for me now on a tasty cauliflower steak.
3. Eggplant
The eggplant needs a little help before it hits the grill. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and place them cut side up on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with some dried oregano, paprika powder, and salt. Roast them in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and grill them for another 5 minutes (in the grill pan) over high heat. Drizzle the eggplants with balsamic vinegar. Delicious on pasta, with a piece of lamb, or over pizza.
4. Endive
Unfortunately, you don't see it much anymore, but endive is the ideal base for your salad. Cut the endive into quarters, drizzle with olive oil and some salt, and grill for 15 minutes in a hot grill pan. Make a vinaigrette from raspberry vinegar, olive oil, and a bit of mustard, and drizzle the endive with the vinaigrette.
5. Zucchini
Zucchini really needs a good pinch of salt. Halve the zucchinis and sprinkle with salt and curry powder. Grill them in a grill pan over high heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Squeeze half a lemon over the zucchinis, along with a good drizzle of olive oil and a twist of salt. Delicious as an appetizer or with a piece of chicken or shrimp.
6. Corn on the cob
My favorite on a barbecue; a good grilled corn on the cob. Nice old school. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add some salt and a bit of sugar. Cook the corn for 12 minutes until tender. Then remove it from the water and place the cobs on a hot grill pan. Grill the cobs for 5-8 minutes. Serve with a pat of butter and some coarse sea salt.
7. Asparagus
When I have little time but still want a good load of vegetables, I make asparagus. Versatile and always delicious. Clean the green asparagus and mix them with olive oil, a bit of soy sauce, salt, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Heat a grill pan over medium to high heat and grill the asparagus for 5-10 minutes until they start to change color. Delicious with stir-fried tempeh or a good tuna steak.
