By Jodee Weiland

Grilled vegetables are just another way to keep your summer barbecues healthy but tasty…corn, zucchini, asparagus, and more!  It is so easy to grill our meats, keeping them healthy, but then adding another easy fix to our menu for summer meals, such as store bought sides like potato salad, cole slaw, etc., can ruin our efforts to stay healthy!

Don’t fall into the trap that the deli sections of the grocery store make so easy for us with the purchase of store bought sides.  Instead, go to the fresh vegetable area, pick out what you need, and bring it home to grill alongside your meat or fish choice for the meal.  And if you’re lucky enough to have some home grown zucchini, that’s even better. The end result will be that you will love it grilled, but more importantly, you will stay healthier.

It doesn’t take a whole lot of effort or work to grill your vegetables, and grilled zucchini is not only one of my favorites, but one of the easiest vegetables to grill.  As I often say, it isn’t rocket science, and the results are well worth what little effort it takes.  I know I have said this before, but we grill all year long, even in the winter when we get snow, so we enjoy grilled zucchini, as well as other grilled vegetables all year long.  Zucchini is always available, and grilled zucchini tastes wonderful.  For one thing, you don’t end up cooking all the nutrients out of it, if you grill it al dente as we do.  Trust me when I say, it’s wonderful! Try it!

Grilled Zucchini…Just Another Easy and Healthy Grilled Vegetable

Fresh zucchini (as many as you need)
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic salt or garlic powder, sea salt, and parsley to taste

That’s it!  That’s all you need.  Just wash your zucchini, cut off the ends, and cut them in half lengthwise.  Spread olive oil over each piece.  Put on garlic salt to taste.  You really don’t need much for flavoring.  Then grill keeping it al dente, about two to three minutes on each side.  You can grill longer if you prefer it cooked longer, but remember the less you cook zucchini, the more nutrients you get.

When your zucchini is grilled, add it to your meal and serve.  The taste is fabulous, and you will have the added bonus of having a healthier meal.  Grilled zucchini goes well with just about any meat or fish choice.  We love it with grilled salmon, chicken, pork, or flank steak.  Whichever you choose to serve it with, you won’t be disappointed when you have grilled zucchini as a side.  Your whole meal will be enhanced by this choice for a side vegetable.  I know that we love it and feel certain that you will as well if you try it.  Enjoy!