Vegetable Grill Out Night: Zippy Corn on the Cob, Hearty Grilled Vegetables, Broiled Tomatoes

With summer comes the vegetable garden. The squash, zucchini and tomatoes are starting to yield in our garden and this is the first meal where we've been able to incorporate them into dinner this summer. Expect more recipes involving these veggies since they tend to grow at a faster pace than growers can use them! Not only that, we have been trying more and more to have a vegetable-only night at least once a week. We do not always succeed at that, but we do try.

To gain the full nutritional value of squash, including zucchini, the skins must remain on. Squash is high in carotene, as well as many other nutrients (like magnesium, potassium, folate, and fiber) needed for heart health. Many nutrients found in all squash varieties help to protect against certain cancers (lung and colon, for instance).

Corn also has a healthy dose of magnesium and folic acid, as well as being rich in fiber and B vitamins. It also aids with heart health, as well as management of diabetes, hypertension and kidney function.

And tomatoes. We've addressed the many benefits of tomatoes before. All in all, vegetables are some of the most nutritious foods one can eat. We all knew that, of course, and it doesn't have to be a chore to get in your recommended intake of daily vegetables to increase your nutritional benefit. Good recipes are all it takes to make eating your vegetables a tasty necessity.

You can grill these vegetables, or cook them in the oven. I opted for the latter, only because it was cleaner that way. But you choose!

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Zippy Corn on the Cob

• 4 medium ears of sweet corn
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Place ears of corn, husked and silks removed, on a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, combine ingredients and mix well. Brush or pour equally over corn, covering all sides. Fold foil around corn and seal tightly. Grill, over medium heat, about 25 minutes, turning once. (or you can bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes)


Hearty Grilled Vegetables

• 12 small red new potatoes, halved
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley
• 3/4 lb fresh mushrooms
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 medium green pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 1 small zucchini, cut into chunks
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into chunks
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella (optional)

Place all ingredients except butter and cheese in large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil, or divided up into smaller pieces of aluminum foil. Drizzle butter over top, and sprinkle cheese on top. Fold foil up and seal. Grill for 20 minutes each side over medium heat. Or, place foil packet in baking dish and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Serve with brown rice


Broiled Tomatoes

• 2 large tomatoes, cut in half
• Parmesan
• oregano
• olive oil

Place tomatoes cut side up on broiler pan. Sprinkle with parmesan and oregano and drizzle with olive oil. Broil for 3-4 minutes, until tomato softens.

Vegetable Night! Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, and Wild Rice

Many people think that sweet potatoes are potatoes when, in fact, they are root vegetables and only distantly related to potatoes. They're also considered low glycemic index, and are highly nutritious being rich in Vitamin A, B6, C, Magnesium, and dietary fiber. I also just recently discovered that they are pretty much the least allergenic food on the planet!

The good thing about sweet potatoes is that they taste like a dessert! Add a tad of cinnamon and a smidgen of brown sugar to them, and you've basically made this very healthy vegetable into something that can fool your sweet tooth.

Some people will peel sweet potatoes, but their skin is packed full of nutrients. So, keep the skin on!!

Baked Sweet Potato

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• vegetable oil
• margarine to taste
  
• cinnamon/sugar substitute

Scrub sweet potatoes; brush each with vegetable oil. Arrange potatoes on oven rack and bake at 450° for 35 to 45 minutes, until tender. Remove at once and prick with a fork to let steam out.

Cut a 1 1/2-inch cross in the center of each potato. Hold each potato with pot holder and press upwards until filling "bursts" up through the cuts.

Top with butter and sprinkle with mixture of cinnamon and sugar substitute.
Serves 4.

Lemon Green Beans

• 8 ounces fresh green beans, ends cut
  
• 1 tspn olive oil
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Steam green beans until tender-crisp. Toss with olive oil and grated lemon rind.

Wild Rice with Apples

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
• 2 cups chopped pink lady apples (or honey crisp, if available)
• 1 cup chopped leek
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/8 tspn ground thyme
• 2 cups wild rice
• 1/2 tspn black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add apple: saute 7 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Remove from pan.

Reduce heat to medium. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add leek; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.. add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in broth, 2 cups water, cider, and thyme; bring to boil.

Stir in rice; reduce heat and simmer 55 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.

Drain and discard excess liquid. Return rice mixture to pan over medium heat. Stir in apple, pecans, and pepper and cook 2 minutes until heated.

Makes 8 servings.

Chicken with Ginger and Snow Peas

This is a low-salt recipe that is amazingly delicious. It calls for soy sauce, which is pretty high in sodium. Alas, this recipe came from my low salt cook book and boasts only 185 mg of sodium per 1 cup serving! Not bad for such a tasty meal. It is full of protein (28 grams per serving) and low fat as well as low in calories. (166 calories per serving and only 3 grams of fat.) I also absolutely abhor peas in any other form. But snow peas are subtle in their flavor, therefore not overpowering the dish and complementing the other gentle flavors.

It makes for a wonderfully nutritious, yet satisfying meal - especially when combined with brown rice, which is what I use with this dish. It also goes very well with steamed broccoli.

So, Dinner Tonight was:

Salad greens with a sprinkle of cheddar, cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber and fat free dressing

Chicken with Ginger and Snow Peas

Brown Rice

Steamed Broccoli

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Chicken with Ginger and Snow Peas

• 6 ounces of fresh snow peas
• 1/2 cup of low sodium or no sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 2 teaspoons of sesame oil
• 1 1/4 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
• 2 medium cloves of garlic. minced
• 1/2 teaspoon of minced ginger root

1. Trim ends off of snow peas
2. In small bowl, whisk together the broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, and pepper.
3. Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat, add oil, and swirl to coat bottom. Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the snow peas, garlic, and ginger root. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Add the chicken broth mixture and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and the chicken is no longer pink in the center, stirring constantly. If mixture begins to burn, remove skillet from heat momentarily and add a teaspoon or two of chicken broth - or water.

Nutritional Information per 1 cup serving:

166 calories
5 grams if carbohydrates
26 grams of protein
66 mg of cholesterol
3 grams of fat
1 gram of fiber
185 mg of sodium
380 mg of potassium
31 mg of calcium

Brown Rice

Cook according to package directions. Remember, brown rice is much more nutritious for you than enriched white rice. Read package for serving size and nutritional information.

Steamed Broccoli

You can use fresh broccoli and steam it of you have a steamer. Or, buying fresh, pre-cut broccoli in a bag and microwaving it according to package directions to steam it will work just fine. Read package for serving size and nutritional information.