Summer alternative to roasting veggies?

[Rosehip]

In the winter, I roast a lot of veggies - brussel sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, etc. Now that summer is here, what are some keep-the-kitchen-cool alternatives? What do you do?

[velochic]

Blanch the veg, toss them with your oil and seasoning, then grill them. I use one of those grill toppers that has the small holes so the smaller veg don't fall through. I absolutely despise vegetables that are just grilled. For our tastes, the vegetables do not get cooked well enough before they get too dark on the outside. The blanching will help that along and also set the color. The exception is when I make a grilled romaine salad.

[lakeruby]

Originally Posted by velochic

Blanch the veg, toss them with your oil and seasoning, then grill them. I use one of those grill toppers that has the small holes so the smaller veg don't fall through. I absolutely despise vegetables that are just grilled. For our tastes, the vegetables do not get cooked well enough before they get too dark on the outside. The blanching will help that along and also set the color. The exception is when I make a grilled romaine salad.

Yeah, this! I'll have to try the blanching technique. We usually slice them super thin so they do have time to cook through before burning, but blanching sounds like it might be easier than dealing with super thin veggies. Thanks!

[ollyoxenfree]

It might depend on what veggies you are trying to grill.

Tender veg like red and orange peppers, zucchini, summer squash, onion, mushroom and asparagus don't need to be blanched first.

I like to soak corn on the cob before I grill it though.

I can see why you might blanche other veg before grilling.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by ollyoxenfree

It might depend on what veggies you are trying to grill.

Tender veg like red and orange peppers, zucchini, summer squash, onion, mushroom and asparagus don't need to be blanched first.

I like to soak corn on the cob before I grill it though.

I can see why you might blanche other veg before grilling.

Actually I blanch all veg before grilling. I vary the duration based on the veg I'm cooking, though. In addition to starting the cooking, it also sets the color so they don't lose their color when grilling them. Also, the salt in the blanching water penetrates rather than falling off when grilling... makes them tastier. Even peppers and zukes do not get done well enough on the grill. We like hearty veg and not those cut ribbon-thin, so perhaps that makes a difference.

[Arduinna]

My ultimate keep the kitchen cool in summer choice is grilling.

[Dmitrizmom]

I'm a foil packet on the grill type of girl. I really want one of the baskets for my grill tho.

[Magelet]

awww this thread makes me want a grill... and a place to use it.

[leighann79]

We grill veggies using a foil packet. Wrap them up with some butter and an ice cube or two. Yum!

[jeanine123]

Do you have a toaster oven? You could roast some veggies in there and it won't heat up the house as much as the fully sized oven. Or you could do what we did for a while which was have the toaster oven on a shelf in the garage and use it there to avoid heating up the house. Though I'm with the rest in that I love grilling veggies but there are days when it's over 100 that I just don't want to stand out in the sun over a hot grill.

[KatWrangler]

Grill, Foil Packets on the grill and Stir-Fry would be my choice. We have a side burner on our outdoor grill that I love.

[maciascl]

Originally Posted by jeanine123

Do you have a toaster oven? You could roast some veggies in there and it won't heat up the house as much as the fully sized oven. Or you could do what we did for a while which was have the toaster oven on a shelf in the garage and use it there to avoid heating up the house. Though I'm with the rest in that I love grilling veggies but there are days when it's over 100 that I just don't want to stand out in the sun over a hot grill.

[ASusan]

Can I ask some really dumb questions here?

1. How do you blanch? I remember my mother blanching veggies (e.g., green beans) before freezing, but I'm not sure of the procedure (e.g. what type of pot? How long?...)

2. How do you use the side burner on the grill? For the blanching? Or for something else veggie-related? We have one, but we use it as a prep area.

[Shantimama]

This thread is making me sooooooooo hungry!!

[Magelet]

For blanching, you get a pot of boiling water going, and a bowl of ice water, pop the veggies in the boiling water for a brief period of time (depends on the veggie, usually only as long as it takes them to turn brightly colored), then pop them in the ice water so they don't keep cooking.