| Everyone knows that vegetables are an essential | | | | veggies, you might substitute Zucchini) |
| part of a healthy, balanced diet. Unfortunately, many | | | | 12 Mushrooms (try Crimini for extra special flavor) |
| people have a pre-conceived idea that veggies taste | | | | 1-1lb Eggplant |
| bad, or that they lack flavor. In fact, numerous adults | | | | 1 Red Bell Pepper |
| and children do not eat even close to the daily | | | | 1 Yellow Bell Pepper |
| recommended amount of veggies because of these | | | | 1. Cut the onion and bell peppers into wedges. |
| pre-conceived ideas, or because they have no idea | | | | Remove the stems from the mushrooms, and slice |
| how to prepare them to bring out all their flavor. | | | | the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick rounds. |
| There are some really innovative ways to cook | | | | 2. Combine olive oil, vinegar, basil, oregano, parsley, |
| veggies, on the stove top, in the oven, and even on | | | | salt, pepper, and garlic in a large re-sealable plastic |
| the barbecue using nearly any outdoor grill or smoker. | | | | bag and mix well. Add onion, eggplant, bell peppers, |
| One such product, the Rib-O-Lator, allows home | | | | mushrooms and asparagus (or zucchini). Seal the bag |
| cooks to prepare delicious veggies using a rotisserie | | | | tightly and shake gently to ensure that the marinade |
| system. | | | | covers all the vegetables. Place the bag in the |
| Unlike traditional rotisseries, the Rib-O-Lator can | | | | refrigerator for about 2 hours. Turn the bag over |
| effectively be used for cooking nearly anything. The | | | | occasionally. |
| system utilizes four trays that mount on your grill's | | | | 3. Preheat the grill to a high heat setting. If you are |
| existing rotisserie rod. Each tray has a solid bottom | | | | using the Rib-O-Lator, make sure you have it in place |
| and side walls to hold food in place and prevent tasty | | | | during the heating stage. Lightly grease the trays. If |
| juices from dripping away. This design makes the | | | | you are using vegetable baskets, it is advisable to |
| Rib-O-Lator perfect for preparing vegetable dishes. It | | | | lightly grease a grilling basket and place the veggies |
| is also very simple to use. | | | | inside it. Wooden skewers, which would work great |
| Other veggie cooking options on the BBQ include | | | | for the above recipe, should be soaked prior to |
| grilling baskets and skewers to kabob your food. The | | | | skewering the veggies to keep the wood from |
| grilling baskets are excellent for smaller pieces of | | | | catching fire. |
| meats and vegetables because they are designed to | | | | 4. Once the grill is heated, put the vegetable mixture |
| allow you to flip or stir the food without fear of it | | | | in the trays, and turn on the grill's motorized spit or |
| falling through the grill. Using skewers to create | | | | rotate the spit manually. Allow the vegetables to |
| veggie kebabs works well for larger chunks of most | | | | cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they are tender. If |
| vegetables. The following recipe is just one of the | | | | using a grilling basket, you will need to flip your |
| simple and tasty options that you can make on the | | | | veggies halfway through cooking, and skewers could |
| grill. | | | | require even more attention since they are closer to |
| Rotisserie Eggplant Mixed Grill | | | | the open flame. Depending on how hot the grill is, less |
| 2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil | | | | cooking time may be required. |
| 1 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar | | | | To add even more flavor to vegetables, why not try |
| 2 TBSP Chopped Basil (Fresh) | | | | a grill smoking system? Pre-flavored wood chips |
| 2 TBSP Chopped Oregano (Fresh) | | | | (think flavors like apple, pecan, cedar, hickory) are |
| 2 TBSP Chopped Parsley (Fresh) | | | | readily available in stores and via the web. Adding |
| 1 TSP Salt | | | | these flavor enhanced wood chips in the grill create |
| 1/2 TSP Black Pepper | | | | even more rich, unique taste sensations. Rotisserie |
| 6 Cloves Minced Garlic | | | | cooking and cooking with flavoring accessories are |
| 1 Red Onion | | | | perfect methods for preparing fresh vegetable dishes |
| 18 Trimmed Asparagus Spears (if doing skewered | | | | that are delicious as well as healthy. |