A Delicious Basting Sauce For Grilled Fresh Vegetables

By Christine Szalay Kudra

Grilled Vegetables, photo by ilovemypit

A grilled vegetables recipe makes a wonderful summertime dish. Not only are grilled fresh vegetables healthy and nutritious but they are also very tasty and you can do so much with them, including international recipes, vegetable marinades, using different combinations of herbs and spices and lots more. You do not have to be a vegetarian to enjoy grilled vegetables, they make wonderful appetizers or side dishes.

Using a basting sauce is a great way to add flavor to your veggies as they grill. Basting the vegetables helps to keep them juicy and succulent and you can use any ingredients you like, to make such a sauce.

Many basting sauces can also be used to marinate the vegetables and you can serve them as a warm sauce with the finished grilled vegetables, to maximize the flavor of the dish.

Recipe for Grilled Vegetables with a Thyme Lemon Basting Sauce

The following recipe uses a thyme, lemon and mustard flavored sauce, which goes beautifully with the vegetables. This recipe makes enough to serve ten people.

What you will need:

• 1/3 cup chopped shallots
• 1 diced stick butter
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 red onion, in 3/4 inch wedges
• 8 trimmed asparagus spears
• 2 ears corn, husked and cut into 4 pieces crosswise
• 1 lb eggplant, in 1/2 inch slices
• 1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch diagonal slices
• 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into 6 long strips
• 1 yellow bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into 6 long strips
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Sprigs of fresh herbs and lemon wedges, for garnish

How to make it:Add the shallots, butter, lemon zest and juice, thyme, olive oil and mustard to a saucepan and whisk the mixture over a medium heat until it is well blended. Season with salt and pepper. You can make this up to three hours ahead if you want. Let the basting sauce cool. You will need to reheat it before using it if you make it in advance.

Arrange the onion, eggplant, and corn in one layer on a baking sheet, and the zucchini, bell pepper, carrot, and asparagus in one layer on another baking sheet. Put half a cup of the sauce in a small pan.

Brush the vegetables on both sides with some of the remaining sauce. Preheat the grill to moderately hot, then grill the onion, eggplant and corn for about six minutes, or until it is lightly charred, basting them occasionally and turning them with tongs. Remove the cooked vegetables from the grill and put them on a foil-covered platter to keep warm.

Grill the asparagus, zucchini, carrot, and bell peppers until they are lightly charred and tender. Turn them with tongs when necessary and use the basing sauce. This will take about six minutes. Add these vegetables to the same platter. Use salt and pepper to season the grilled vegetables, and then garnish them with some sprigs of fresh herbs and lemon wedges.

Put the pan with the reserved basting sauce over a low heat and whisk the sauce until it is warm. Serve the vegetables with this warm sauce on the side.

A basting sauce is one way to add flavor to grilled vegetables but there are also plenty of herb and spice combinations, marinades and more that you can try, if you want to make the most delicious grilled mixed vegetables recipe.

GrilledVegetableRecipe.com – The Veggie Side of Grilling