BBQ fruit and veg goes well beyond just a salad. Check out our ideas for new ways to incorporate fruit and vegetables into your summer feasting!
In addition to the usual suspects – sausages, burgers and ribs – did you know that there are loads of great fruit and veg you can throw on the BBQ? You didn’t? Well, read on and soon your mouth will be watering with the delicious possibilities…
BBQ Fruit
Let’s start with something sweet. BBQ fruit adds a fresh and vibrant tang to your food that your guests are sure to love. Whether served individually, in a burger or as a fruit kebab, fruit offers you a whole new world of BBQ experience!
Pineapple
Probably the most popular BBQ fruit, thanks to Hawaiian-style burgers, pineapple is a popular picnic and BBQ staple. Pineapple gives your burgers a tropical twist that’s ideal for summery weather. The easiest way is to cut a fresh pineapple into wedges or slices and grill until they are browned on both sides.
Alternatively, why not marinate them overnight with a honey and hot pepper mix to add some tang to your burger?
Peaches
Grilled peaches are a super easy way to add some warmth to a late night BBQ fruit dessert. Cut peaches in half, remove the stone, brush with melted butter and place them on the grill.
When both sides are soft and a bit charred (roughly 4-5 minutes each), move them to a fresh bowl of vanilla ice cream. Or, coat them with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar for a slightly caramelised topping.
Apple
Bananas are a classic BBQ fruity dessert, and are great with cinnamon, so why not try apples too? Slice and place on a clean grill, add honey and cinnamon for a sweet treat that’s amazing on kebabs, or as a dessert all its own.
Watermelon
Watermelon might sound like a watery option, but this wet fruit won’t put out your BBQ! That’s right, you can BBQ watermelon!
Make sure the grill is clean, and place nice thick slices on the grill for a few minutes. A quick coating of salt makes grilled watermelon a perfect light appetiser, or serve with blue cheese and prosciutto. Sounds weird, but trust us, it’s tasty! Or to go a bit safer, add watermelon to a spinach and mozzarella plate.
Avocado
Avocados can be BBQ’d either as slices (which can slide right into a burger) or halves. Grilled avocado also makes a great smoky guacamole. Just be sure to properly oil the fruit so that it doesn’t lose all of its moisture, use foil if your grill grates are too wide, and only leave it on the heat for 2-3 minutes.
Now let’s bring it all together with…
BBQ Fruit Kebabs!
BBQ fruit kebabs combine all the best bits of your fruity selection. They’re great as a veggie alternative to meaty kebabs (though veggie BBQ kebabs are just as good), or as a quirky, hot dessert!
Pineapple chunks lead the charge, as they are handily available in chunk-form. Skewer combinations of fruit, or add in meat and peppers to mix things up and create a taste sensation!
BBQ Veg
Onions, sweet potato, squeaky cheese. The BBQ options for veggies can leave something to be desired. But with a bit of imagination, you can mix up so smoky deliciousness that might even get your meat-eating friends to have a sniff!
Butternut Squash
A classic BBQ veg option, thinly slice or dice your squash, add a splash of oil and get grilling! Squashes make a great alternative to beef burgers, or as a twist on a bruschetta.
Green Beans
Toss them with some olive oil, salt, and garlic, and you are set to start BBQing. For shorter beans, use a grill plate or grill basket, and remember, green beans will cook pretty fast.
Potatoes
There are so many ways to cook potatoes: boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew, and even grill them on the BBQ! Grilled potatoes take a bit of prep to make sure each potato piece is fully cooked on the inside and not just charred on the outside.
To get a totally toasted tater, parboil potato slices so that they are almost cooked before they get near the hot grill. Or, put uncooked potato slices or wedges on a cooler part of the grill and roast them slowly before moving them to a hotter section later.
You can also wrap sliced potatoes, your choice of seasonings, and onions and peppers into a packet of foil and let them bake while you work the rest of the meal.
Aubergine
Not only do aubergines take especially well to grills, grilled aubergine can also be turned into an awesome salad or a baba ganoush. Many aubergine recipes call for salting the slices for a while to draw off water, but you can also marinate half-inch-thick slices in a vinaigrette for an hour or so. Then cook the slices on the grill until they have softened or charred a little bit.
Artichoke
Not only are aubergines a natural BBQ veg, grilled aubergine can also be turned into an awesome salad or a baba ganoush. Many aubergine recipes call for salting the slices for a while to draw off water, but you can also marinate half-inch-thick slices in a vinaigrette for an hour or so. Then cook the slices on the grill until they have softened or charred a little bit.
Cabbage
In the summer, most cabbage gets relegated to coleslaw duty, but grilling cabbage helps cut down on some of the bitterness and strong taste cabbage can have, making it a more appealing side dish on its own.
Cut a head of cabbage into wedges, lightly coat with olive oil, and grill as is. Top with a spicy lime dressing for a self-contained salad, or used an aluminium foil packet to grill the cabbage with butter, onions, and garlic for a heartier BBQ side dish.
Asparagus
One of the great things about putting this veg on the BBQ is that they are cooked in a matter of moments! Just add a light coating of oil, salt, and pepper.
They also take well to marinades, like a balsamic and oil drizzle or a thicker mayonnaise-based paprika and garlic coating. Grilling asparagus on a pan or in foil will save most from slipping through the grates, but arranging four to five spears on skewers also works if you’d prefer a bit of char.
These are just a few ideas of how you can add some fruit and veg onto your BBQ. So when you’re looking to stock up on food, hit up the fruit and veg aisle and that thinking further than just salad for your next BBQ.
The post Freshly Grilled: BBQ Fruit & Veg Recipe Ideas appeared first on V8 UK.