Grill Extra Vegetables

With the warmer months upon us, it is time to light the grill.

For as much as I love grilling, it is a lot of work-lighting the charcoal, waiting for it to go to hot coals, pre-cleaning the grill, making sure the heat is even, constantly checking food, and after cooking waiting for the ashes to go cold, cleaning up the ashes, putting the cover back on the grill. All the while trying to look cool as you harken back to early man's cooking style and drink beer.

So, when spending all this time and energy, take time to grill some extra vegetables to be added to dishes later in the week.

As I mentioned before, grilled foods taste better after they sit for a few days because the smoky flavor more-deeply infuses into the foods. So, take advantage of this fact and grill extra onions, peppers, mushrooms, corn, squash and any other vegetable you can possibly imagine.

Later in the week these vegetables can be used on pizzas, pasta, omelets, sandwiches, salads, etc. A particular favorite of mine is roasted peppers with cheese and crackers. And a friend once made a salad with chilled roasted vegetables, diced and combine with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and goat cheese-a dish she said she came up with on her own.

Cook once, eat twice.