One thing I’ve always loved about the boating community is how everyone shares knowledge.
I’d never thought of cooking veggies on the grill until our friends David and Jan Irons spent a week aboard our boat in the middle of summer in the Sea of Cortez. It was hot—in the high 90s—but we stayed cool by swimming, snorkeling and lounging in the water.
Jan and I discussed what we’d have for dinner while “noodling.” I had planned grilled chicken breasts and had bought some sweet potatoes that we could bake. The only problem was that I didn’t feel like using the oven and heating up the boat. Maybe we’d just have a veggie salad.
“Why not just grill the potatoes and veggies along with the chicken,” said Jan. She gave me a crash course on how they did it, and we loved them! Since then, we bought a grilling sheet to make it even easier; it doesn’t tear as foil can and cleanup is a breeze.
Just last month we spent 10 days on our friends’ boat in the U.S. Virgin Islands. One day LaDonna commented that she had bought sweet potatoes to go with the meal, but it just seemed so hot to bake them. I almost laughed out loud, remembering when I’d said the exact same thing.
Ingredients:
4 cups mixed fresh vegetables such as carrots, onions,
mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, bell peppers or
sweet potatoes (any combination or even all of one)
2 tablespoons olive oil, canola oil or non-stick spray
Spices to taste: about 1 teaspoon of Mrs. Dash, Montreal Steak Seasoning, garlic pepper, Italian seasoning or just salt and pepper
Peel (if necessary) and cut vegetables into roughly 1-inch cubes or inch slices as appropriate. Place into a medium bowl.
Add oil or spray generously with cooking spray, then toss to coat. Add spice(s) and again toss to mix thoroughly.
If you have a grilling sheet (a nonstick mat that goes directly on the grate), a vegetable basket or a metal pie pan, use that to hold the vegetables. Otherwise, use a layer of heavy duty aluminum foil or a double layer of regular foil. Folding the edges up will help keep the veggies on the foil when turning them.
NOTE: You can also use foil to encase the veggies in packets, but then they get more steamed than roasted. It’s also possible to put potato slices, whole carrots, large mushroom caps and whole onion slices directly on the grill if the grates are closely spaced so they don’t fall through.
Grill the veggies over medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes until they are tender, turning once after about 10 minutes. If there is room, you can place them around the outside of the grill while grilling meat in the middle; otherwise, grill the vegetables first and keep them covered and warm while grilling the meat.
