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Fresh vegetables not only offer nutritional value, but they taste great! Using the grill during the warm weather seasons can enhance the flavors already present in fresh vegetables. Here are some universal tips to assist with your quest for tantalizing your taste buds.

Use vegetables you like to eat. Traditionally, corn, green/red/orange/yellow bell peppers, onions, carrots, and potatoes have dominated American grills. Depending upon your personal tastes, try broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms (portabello), and any other veggies that can be eaten at multiple cooking temperatures. Before grilling your vegetables, rinse and soak with water. The water will act as an agent to retain moisture and avoid your vegetables from drying out excessively. You can grill whole vegetables, ie mushroom caps, asparagus, small onions, whole ears of corn, but for most vegetables, you'll want to slice in manageable pieces; cut to your preference but generally vegetables sliced in bite size pieces will take less time to grill and the flavor of the grill will permeate more of the vegetable.

Olive oil and seasoned salt brushed lightly on your vegetables prior to grilling is easy and adds a nutty taste to your vegetables.

For vegetables that can absorb flavors, ie potatoes, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, marinate in your favorite marinade for 30 minutes prior to grilling. A simple marinade you can use 1 part soy sauce, 3 parts rice wine, clove finely minced garlic, chili powder to taste, and salt & pepper to taste. If you're using a marinade or flavoring agent, you can lightly brush your vegetables with the liquid during the grill process to retain juiciness.

If you prefer your vegetables soft versus crunchy, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before placing them on the grill and cook slowly, usually on the top rack or away from the direct flame, creating a steam effect. You'll still get the flavor of the grill but less crunch in your palate.

To avoid losing vegetables to your grill, wooden skewers are sold in most major grocery retailers. If you are an avid griller, stainless steel skewers are sold usually next to their wooden counterparts and may be worth the small investment although they require additional elbow grease for clean up, they're easier to use when spearing harder vegetables.

As with any type of cooking, personal taste, preference, and availability of ingredients will determine your next grilling experience. Understanding the fundamentals, heat placement, moisture, and working knowledge of common vegetables, you'll be on your way to wowing your next barbecue guests!

Learn more about this author, Leigh Baran.
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