Roasted vegetables are a perfect light food and because of their smoky flavor they can be used in pizzas, lasagna, salads or even served with rice as part of vegetarian dishes. They make a great addition to meat, providing a healthy element to it.
Vegetables on the grill are not only delicious and healthy but easy to prepare. However, grilling can be a dirty job and cleaning - a hassle. The sticky, burnt scraps are a typical result of attempts at grilling.
A good way to reduce the amount of time cleaning, and the muck and mess, is to use aluminum foil. It can be found in almost any store and is readily available.
How to prepare vegetables in aluminum foil
The items you will need in order to grill vegetables are aluminum foil (a thicker one is preferred but even a thin one will get the job done), vegetables by choice (mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, peppers, etc.), a knife, spices, olive oil and a grill or oven.
Choosing the vegetables
For grilling, it is best to choose vegetables with a high content of water - eggplants, peppers, pumpkins, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and chervil. All of them require roughly the same amount of grilling time, which is why they can be grilled together.
Vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower and broccoli should be avoided, while vegetables with leaves are also no good, unless specific dishes require them to be roasted on high heat. Chicory is an exception.
Preparing the foil
Grab a large piece of foil and spread it out in a tray of some sort. While folding it, don't forget that you need enough of it to cover all the vegetables. To prevent them from sticking, sprinkle the foil with some olive oil.
Washing and cutting the vegetables
Before eating the vegetables, it is very important to wash them well. You can sprinkle them with a mixture of water and lemon juice and let them sit for a little while. Then wash and dry them. When cutting, be sure they are of equal size, since this will ensure that they become ready at the same time.
Seasoning the vegetables
After cutting them, place them into a bowl and pour a bit of olive oil over them, along with some spices of your choice or salad dressing. Since vegetables are not fatty, they only have need of a little bit of olive oil in order to remain moist and not burn. Stir them well and place them in a tray. Ginger, vinegar, soya sauce will add an Asian aftertaste.
Wrapping the vegetables
After the vegetables have been seasoned and placed in the tray with foil, fold the parts of the foil that stick out, crimping them and creating a pocket. This way, the vegetables won't fall out (or the juices pour out) during grilling. Plus, the steam inside will allow for a better preparation.
Grilling
Before you place the pocket of foil with vegetables on the grill, make sure that it is heated to a moderate temperature. Put the vegetables on for about 8 to 10 min, then flip them over to grill for the same amount of time. Flip them back once more for another 5 min.
Serving
After you have finished grilling, let the vegetables sit for 5 min. Then you can open the foil and add a little butter or spices to taste.
Boiled vegetables lose most of their nutrients in boiling water, while fried vegetables are too greasy. Grilled vegetables are much more healthy in comparison.
The grill also contributes to that smoky flavor, which we often miss out on in vegetables. And that is why grilling is turning into a cooking style for all seasons throughout the year.
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