Smoking and Grilling Vegetables

You probably remember being a kid and your parents telling you to eat your vegetables. As it turns out, they were right. A healthy diet consists of lean meats, foods rich in omega-3s, fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. 

Why Eat Your Veggies? 

Vegetables provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber to the body. According to a recent study, vegetables play a vital role in your overall health. Not only are they a low-fat option for those monitoring their caloric intake, they can also prevent serious diseases. A diet that includes several servings of fruits and vegetables can reduce your risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It can also lower your risk of heart attacks and strokes. 

Smoked Vegetables 

Vegetables provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber to the body. According to a recent study, vegetables play a vital role in your overall health. Not only are they a low-fat option for those monitoring their caloric intake, but they can also prevent serious diseases. A diet that includes several servings of fruits and vegetables can reduce your risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It can also lower your risk of heart attacks and strokes. 

To prepare a vegetable mix, leave the skin on sliced vegetables such as zucchini, yellow squash, artichokes, peppers, and tomatoes. Then, in a large bowl, add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil, garlic salt, and some cracked peppercorn. Transfer your mix to an aluminum foil pan or tray and set your smoker to 250 degrees. The cooking time is roughly an hour or so, but it depends on how you like the texture.  

The nice thing about using a smoker is that you add wood pellets. They come in a variety of flavors, allowing you to experience your vegetables in a variety of flavors to change things up. The best pellet smokers come with many features to make the cooking process easy. 

Grilling Vegetables 

Many people simply don't like the taste of many vegetables after they have been boiled. As a result, they don't eat enough of them. The good news is that there are alternative ways to cook vegetables to enhance their flavor without losing their health benefits. 

During the summer, people remove the cover from their grill and start the season off with burgers, hot dogs, steaks and racks of ribs. Your grill can also be used to prepare mouth-watering vegetables with tons of flavor. While most people include corn on the barbecue, there are many other vegetables that you can add. Bell peppers, sliced into quarters (with seeds removed), onions that have been peeled and quartered, zucchini, eggplant, and yellow squash cut into thick lengthwise shapes, are delicious when they are cooked over an open flame. 

If you prefer, you can add mushrooms cut in half, trimmed asparagus, and tomatoes.  Before placing it on the grill, use a pastry brush to apply a coating of oil, crushed sea salt, and pepper to taste. This will serve two purposes. First, the oil will eliminate the risk of the vegetables from becoming stuck on the grill and, secondly, it will preserve their color and enhance their flavor. 

Benefits of Grilling and Smoking Vegetables 

Grilling and smoking vegetables provides alternative options for preparing vegetables. When you boil vegetables on the stove, you lose many of the vitamins and minerals. However, when you use a grill or a slow cooker you preserve the nutrients and retain the natural flavor. Additionally, you won't need to add butter or heavy sauces, helping to reduce the fat content and unnecessary calories. This makes them delicious, crisp, and a healthier option. 

Fresh vegetables are beneficial to your overall health. They provide an abundance of nutrients that can help your internal organs function properly, build up your immune system to fend off colds, and help to prevent sometimes life-threatening diseases.