Ideas for grilling vegetables

[snowdragon]

  I've bought a smaller table top grill ( propane, but table top) specifically for grilling stuff for my vegetarian friends when I do bbq's, because I don't want to risk them getting meat juice on their food.

  I could use some suggestions for what and how to grill veggies - I've tried tin foil pockets with butter substitute and they were OK but I could use some suggestion for other options, if anyone cares to share their favourite options

[JenJay]

When we do it we just put the veggies right over the flame in a grilling basket (so no foil). You can toss them with olive oil first but we generally just season them. We've done asparagus, bell peppers, tomatoes and zucchini with success. Thick slices of grilled pineapple are fantastic, too! I don't generally like onion but for some reason slices of grilled onion like you get on kabobs are really good. I haven't tried it but I've heard corn on the cob is good, I think you leave it in the husk and wrap it in foil?

I can't help with technique because DH does the grilling over our wood burning fire pit.

[NyaChan]

We do ours straight on the grill, no foil.  I love trying different seasoning mixes on them or just a drizzle of olive oil with salt and pepper.  Onions, zucchinis, squash, asparagus, bell peppers, corn, eggplant - really anything that isn't too watery or will fall apart on the grill. 

[Outdoor Girl]

I've grilled asparagus, with a little bit of olive oil brushed on.  I've done it loose on the grill and I've also taken smaller wood skewers and put them through the butts and tops of the spears so I was able to flip the whole package at the same time.

I've grilled pepper quarters, too, with a little brush of olive oil on the skin side.  I have discovered, though, that you can't prep meals ahead with them - they give off a lot of liquid when reheated from the fridge or freezer.

When I do kebabs with chunks of peppers, red onion, zucchini, whatever else you want to put on there, I do a separate skewer of small tomatoes.  I find the tomatoes cook faster than everything else and are about to fall off if you put them on with the other veggies.

You can take the husks off the corn and grill it direct, too.  It'll get some blackened bits, though.  Or you can take the unhusked corn, soak it in water and then grill it.  It'll steam in the husks.

My vegetarian friends have used one of those perforated baskets specifically for grilling veggies and tossed them around in there like they were doing a stir fry.  Those were good, too.

I bought a new grill a while ago, with three separate burners.  I've kept the grill over the right most burner clear of meat so when I have my vegetarian friends over, they can have a 'clean' section of grill.

My favourite way to do potatoes on the grill?  Either slice them or chunk them, with the skin still on.  Spray the foil with Pam or use a little olive oil.  Put the potatoes on then add fresh garlic, wild leeks (you could use onion, instead), a couple of fresh sprigs of rosemary, seasoned salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap up the foil and bake on the barbecue until done.  Remove the rosemary sprig when serving so no one gets the 'tree'.  The leaves left behind are fine.

[sweetonsno]

I like veggie shish kebabs. Cherry tomato, olive, mushroom, zucchini, onion, pepper. . . all delicious. (And Outdoor Girl is right. . . the cherry tomatoes sometimes fall off.)

Whole portobellos are always a hit, as are thick slices of eggplant. For an easy-as-heck marinade, just use bottled Italian dressing (or prepare a packet of the powdered stuff).

You can grill bread and/or pizzas, too.

Extra firm tofu can also be grilled, but make sure the grill is well-seasoned, as it may try to stick. (Brush with barbecue sauce as it's cooking, then pour on a bit more at the end. Fabulous on a sandwich with cole slaw and pineapple.)

You're really sweet for thinking of your veggie friends. We appreciate the effort!

[blarg314]

I think the Asian eggplants (the long, skinny ones) would grill really well whole. Slice and mix with grilled cherry tomatoes, onion, and season with lemon, olive oil and garlic.

Asparagus is good grilled - season afterwards with a squeeze of lemon, a bit of red pepper flakes, and a quick grating of parmesan.

Whole corn on the cob (shucked), grilled until slightly blackened and seasoned with chili powder, salt and fresh lime juice.

[Library Dragon]

I do onions in foil packs.  Drizzle with olive oil and add a few caraway seeds.  Yummy!

[SCMagnolia]

You can grill just about anything.

I use a grill basket and toss zucchini, onions, green peppers, yellow squash, and mushrooms in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  You can also make a marinade with red wine vinegar, olive oil, dried oregano, dried basil, and a pinch of crushed red pepper (sorry I don't have amounts, I go by taste and smell!).  Marinate the veggies for 20 minutes and then put them on the grill.   You can add tomatoes, but if you do, add them in just the last few minutes of grilling, otherwise, they cook away to nothing.

I cut potatoes into 1" pieces, parboil them until they are just barely fork-tender, and then toss them with olive oil, vidalia onion rings, and whatever fresh herbs I have handy (rosemary is fantastic on potatoes), and salt and pepper.  Wrap in foil and grill 15 minutes or so on each side.  My family LOVES these!

I've really just started grilling corn.  I will cook it in boiling water for a few minutes to make sure it's cooked and tender and then put it on the grill until it's slightly charred.  Grilling brings out so much of its natural sweetness!

If you want a real treat, try grilling pineapple or peaches!  Absolutely out-of-this-world amazing on the grill!

[Drunken Housewife]

A lot of vegetables do best if you pre-cook them a bit (boil them for a while) then throw them on the grill.

I usually use a marinade made from reduced port and some vinegar, plus butter, which I brush on everything.  my husband loves grilled potatoes and corn on the cob especially, both of which I preboil (but not until completely done) and then finish on the grill with lots of sauce brushed on.

It's also nice to make some skewers, with things like cubes of tofu, bits of bell pepper, bits of onion, cherry tomatoes, and the like.  These will grill well and don't need a precooking step.  I like to include a slice of lemon on the skewers.

Grilled portobello mushrooms are very popular.

Another fun idea is to grill romaine lettuce for a salad.  There was a trend for that some years back.  I got the idea from Food & Wine magazine, and I went to restaurants which had it.  I made a vegetarian version of a Caesar salad with grilld romaine and loved it.

[AmethystAnne]

DH and I like to grill unshucked corn on the cob.

Do not shuck the ears, submerge them totally underwater for about 20 or so minutes, take each one out, squeeze the tassel at the to get out extra water, place the ears on the grill rack over hot charcoal briquittes, rotate the ears until all the sides have been 'branded' by the rack, and then take them off the grill.

The silk will come off easier, the corn has a slight smoky flavor, really yummy!

[Tini]

Little squares of pre-made polenta are nice browned on a bbq. I usually put parmesan in mine, but you could really experiment with other ingredients or seasonings. Chopped sundried tomatoes, bits of roast peppers or jalapenos...
The other thing I do for my sister is grilled bananas. Make little tinfoil parcels and add a bit of brown sugar and white rum. Nummy.

[that_one_girl]

brush asparagus spears with olive oil, then grill
when they are tender, take them off the grill and drizzle with basalmic vinegar
yum!

[Mikayla]

I do onions in foil packs.  Drizzle with olive oil and add a few caraway seeds.  Yummy!

So yummy!  I confess to using butter, s&p when I do this.  The same applies for chunked baked potatoes.  My dad used to make these when we went camping.

My shish kebabs are pretty generic:  tomatoes (cherry work best), onion and mushroom.  I put olive or canola on them and s/p.  I've tried other marinades and veggies, but nothing tops this.

[Dazi]

Thick slices of grilled tomato and whole portabella mushroom tops are SO fantastic...I like to put a nice slice of mozzarella between them...yum.  I also really love grilled asparagus. Pineapple too.   

Kabobs with different peppers, onions, mushrooms, squash, and  pineapple are so good...I put the cherry or grape tomatoes on a separate kabob and start those much latter than the rest since they don't take that log to cook.

[sweetonsno]

Peeled, parboiled carrots can also be pretty fantastic. Brush them with oil and a hint of honey, then season with salt and cumin. (Bonus points if you toast the seeds and then grind them. It's good even without the bonus points.) Let them get all grilled and shrively, then squeeze on a little lime and dribble on more honey if ya need it. These are also nice with something spicy.