Grilling Side Dishes

Have you ever had grilled veggies? Oh, if not, I beg you to try it!
No big preparation is needed, and, as luck would have it, I happen to have some basic recipes for you to try.
You WILL need something to top your grill surface if you have the traditional slat grill rack... they are inexpensive, and if you have aluminum foil, not necessary. I will caution you to use Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil, so that you don't cook your veggies to perfection and drop them on the ground when you take them off the grill!
I just put a sheet on the grill after having rolled each side to form lips, so the juices don't escape...
Here are a few recipes for you to try

Asparagus
Use a basting brush or your hands to rub (very lightly) some olive oil and garlic (either granulated, minced or powdered) over you asparagus. Lay it one layer deep on the grill during the last 3-5 minutes of cooking your main dish... if you use foil, you wont' have grill marks, if you use the toppers you can buy, it makes a nicer presentation, with the lightly colored marks...

Potatoes
I toss my new red potatoes (my personal fave... use whatever you have) in a tiny bit of olive oil, OR I lay them on a cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray (butter flavor is excellent for this) and sprinkle the potatoes with a mixture that is 1 part garlic powder to 2 parts salt, and 1 part Black pepper. slice the potatoes about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices and sprinkle this mixture onto the potatoes... the only purpose for the spray or oil is to hold the spices to the vegetable, so go easy on them... we aren't frying here, just adding flavor... grill the potatoes about 3 minutes on each side on a medium hot grill, just until they get tender and begin to brown. ( I Don't let them brown, but go with your tastes on it. Just make sure they are cooked through. Color is subjective)

Medley

Cut a zucchini, a yellow squash, a bell pepper (whatever color you like) and an onion. Cut the squash into thick slices, the pepper into thick strips and cut the onion into quarters and separate the quarters into petals as they cook, NOT before, or they will burn.
You can marinate these in Italian Dressing, using the Light version if you are watching calories and fat. Or you can spray them like the potatoes and put herbs on them. These cook better in foil pouches with fork holes punched into them, to allow the grill flavor to get to them. (I use charcoal, or wood chips on a gas grill to add flavor to my dishes)
These were inspired by a trip to Howard's in Gatlinburg, Tn. with my husband in 1997. They grill their veggies over hickory and they were wonderful... if you use a gas grill with no wood chips, you'll get steamed veggies... either way, an easy way to have sides without cooking inside AND out..

Onions...
Halve an onion and brush the raw edges with Olive oil and salt. Grill on medium heat until tender, and just before serving, a tiny pat of butter placed on it to melt is a wonderful finish!

Tomatoes are excellent on the grill. You just need to halve them, and salt them to draw out some of the moisture. Choose a firm Roma or something similar in texture... or try whole grape tomatoes sprayed or brushed... are you sensing a theme, here? As long as they are lightly sprayed or greased to allow them not to stick, most any veggie will grill!

Corn
Pull the husks back and remove the silks on sweet corn, but DO NOT remove the husks... soak the ears for about twenty minutes and grill while you cook your proteins... so tasty..
OR, wrap shucked ears in aluminum foil, after putting a pat of butter in with them, poke a few holes in the foil away from the butter, and put it on the cooler section of your grill... very tasty!


BREAD!
Oh, my, if you haven't had grilled toast, you are truly deprived of a taste sensation.
I use a Texas Toast (you can get this anywhere you buy bread) or a loaf of Italian Bread from the bakery section of the store...
Slice it about two inches thick, melt butter and add garlic and if you like, Parsley,(burns easily, so I add it after cooking but before it cools) Place on the grill, turn as it gets grill marks, and toast it... I pair this with steak and get those juices off my plate, folks... I am NOT a dieter, especially when it comes to Grilled Bread


Fruit
Grilled Pineapple is an amazing treat. I used canned slices and fresh spears. Pairs well with grilled chicken marinated in teriyaki baste and seasoning (not teriyaki sauce). Just be careful with the slices. The idea is to heat it, get the grill marks on it, and serve, NOT to caramelize the pineapple or to dry it out...
Sugary fruit will stick to the grill, so be sure you spray your grill rack before you heat it...

I like grilled banana, although it is easy to overdo them... slice them like you are making a banana split and lightly brush with unsalted melted butter, REALLY LIGHTLY brushed! Grill about a minute, flipping constantly... serve with a caramel sauce over ice cream.... can you taste that right now? OH, my!

Experiment and come up with your own grilled sides.
I do  everything from green bean bundles to corn...

Seasoning Tips for Grilled Steaks, Chops, etc

When I grill a steak, I don't do those itty bitty girlie steaks. You know the kind- so small, you have to move the potato and roll to find it.
I am NOT suggesting you eat a steak the size of your head, although I have seen times I could have!
But if you get a large steak and cook it correctly, you can serve two to four people and each can have a steak cooked to their liking.
I like to get my steaks where they actually have a Butcher... have them recommend a good cut and tell them how thick you want it, etc. Those pre-packaged steaks at some stores have been travelling in a truck, post packaging, for a week, and the taste is truly different from those delivered locally. I never freeze a steak, unless I buy a side of beef. They need more seasoning when they have been frozen, in my opinion.
So, how do you know whether a steak is done to your liking, without piercing it with a thermometer, and losing those wonderful juices? Well, use your hands...
if you press your thumb against the steak  and it feels similar to the padding on your thumb when you lightly close your fist (not clenched), it's rare...open only your thumb only, and press it, you have medium..open all the way, and that is what a well done steak feels like... without being as dry as shoe leather...easy, huh?
Now, for seasoning...
Salt toughens meat, so use it LAST... just before serving, but AFTER cooking... it also dries out the juices, so you wont lose them if you do this..
I know, some of you are anti MSG, so if you are, don't use this, but I love it... Tiger Seasoning, formerly known as Praise Allah, is similar to Accent, but with a little different flavor, and when you use 1 part Tiger  to 2 parts Garlic Powder and 1/2 as much Black pepper as Tiger, you get a really simple seasoning that tastes heavenly on a steak, chop or burger...
I dress my steaks on occasion with Unsalted Real Butter, heated with some Minced Garlic. Pour this over your steak, just a touch of it, just before serving, and be amazed at how that plain steak suddenly doesn't need sauce...
There are some excellent rubs pre-mixed out there, and one Gary and I have fallen in love with is Webber Steak and Chop Seasoning... cook the meat to your liking and pour it on just as you turn it the last time... yummy1
Fresh herbs are a pretty and easy way to make Chicken on the Grill become something you look forward to, rather than something you settle for..
Garlic and Rosemary pair well and are equally tasty on Chicken and Pork, particularly on a Pork Loin or Tenderloin.
There is a sauce I buy on occasion to marinade pork chops and chicken, and it is truly unique...everyone who watched the Brady Bunch remembers Peter asking Alice about dinner and doing his best spy impersonation as he reported they were having "pork chops and applesauce" ... well, this sauce is made of spices and applesauce and I get it at a Grilling Store in Sevierville in Magnolia something Shopping Center, on the right, just past Popeye's on 441... you can get it at Simonton's Cheese House in Crossville, Tn. It is called Tennessee Gourmet Apple & Spice Sneaky Hot. This sauce is available online, as well, and sometimes the Gourmet's Market on Kingston Pike or the Cook's Department at Smokey Mtn. Knife Works carries it...
There are degrees of heat available in the sauce, and you add things to it to make the marinade I use... the recipe is right there on the bottle... it is really good, and sweet at first, then you get a bite at the finish... we really love this sauce.
These are some simple but proven ways to add flavor to everyday dishes... with today's quick heating infrared grills, gas cookers, etc, you can grill out on weeknights... try some of these tips and if you come up with something new, post it on here and help make the blog more interesting for all of us!

Tequila Lime Chicken (Copy cat of Applebee's)

4 chicken breast fillets
1 C. shredded cheddar/Monterrey jack cheese blend
2 C. crumbled corn chips or fried tortilla strips

Marinade:
1 C. water
1/3 C. teriyaki sauce
2 T. lime juice
2 t. minced garlic
1 t. mesquite liquid smoke
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. tequila]

Mexi Ranch Dressing
Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
Pace Thick & Chunky Salsa

Mix and pour marinade over chicken and refrigerate at least four hours. Cook in oven, on stove top or on gill until chicken is done.
Put chicken on heated Cast iron fajita pan or on Hot plate,with corn tortilla chips or strips under chicken.Out mexi ranch dressing over this and sprinkle cheese on top. If cheese doesn't melt, put it under the broiler for a minute or two... tastes just like Applebees's Fiesta Chicken (formerly called tequila lime chicken)