Out of the Box: Grilled Veggies & Fruit

By: Amie Simon | July 03 2010
Posted in Seattle - Cook It - Seattle

Photo: Amie Simon

This week I decided on an easy-to-prepare grilled meal using a mix of veggies and fruit from my CSA box, pairing them with some Painted Hills Natural Beef Ribeye Steaks that I picked up from Don & Joe's Meats in the Pike Place Market. It took me about 30 minutes from prep to serve, which left me plenty of time to enjoy more outdoors after dinner.

Summer Squash
Squash is in season, so I've been receiving a lot of zucchini and yellow crookneck squash in my box. While both are delicious roasted or stir-fried, I also like to skewer and grill them. The slightly sweeter taste of the crookneck plays well off the zucchini, and the bright yellow and green adds interesting color to your plate.

Grilled Dessert
My fruit selection has also been shifting sweeter; this week the CSA delivered some nectarines. It might sound strange, but grilling fruit has become one of my favorite desserts. Firmer fruits hold up better on the grill, so nectarines are the perfect choice. Fresh thyme and the warmth of the grill complement the vibrancy of this fruit.

Photo: Amie Simon

Simple Grilled Veggies and Fruit

2 yellow crookneck squash
2 large zucchini
2-3 nectarines
fresh thyme and/or lemon thyme
salt & pepper
lemon pepper (optional)
olive oil
your choice of grillin' meat

For the veggies:
Slice each squash into pieces about ¼" thick, skewer them alternately, and drizzle with olive oil. Grill for about 10 minutes total, making sure to turn often to avoid burns. I added lemon pepper to mine for some extra flavor.

For the fruit:
Split nectarines in half, removing the pit and scooping out any remnants with a melon baller. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle fresh thyme or lemon thyme (I used a mix of both from my garden). Grill face down for about 3 minutes, flip over and serve with more thyme on top.

For the meat:
Good beef just needs a little bit of salt and pepper to bring out the flavor. I threw these ribeyes on the grill for about 6 minutes each side. They were amazingly delicious, and I'll be going back to get more whenever I want to splurge a little on a good steak.