Grilled or Broiled Vegetable Packets

A few years ago, DH was told he needed to bring his blood pressure and cholesterol down. He opted for changing his diet and exercise habits instead of going on medications, and so we started eating a lot more vegetables and a lot less meat. But since we both have a limited number of vegetables that we like, we had to find various ways of preparing them so that we didn’t die of diet boredom. And since we live in a small RV that heats up quickly when cooking, we decided that we preferred grilling outside on a small gas grill. But if you’d prefer to warm your house with the oven, by all means, these work just as well under a broiler.

You will need:
Heavy duty aluminum foil
A gas or charcoal grill or an oven set to broil
A selection of veggies
A selection of seasonings

Depending on your tastes, you have an endless variety of flavors to work with in grilling veggies. All veggies for this should be cut to fairly uniform sizes (think shish kebab sizes). Our favorite vegetables for grilling include:
Potatoes
Bell peppers (any color, but we like red, yellow and orange)
Onion (we like pearl onions, but large onions cut up work just as well)
Carrots (again, we’re lazy; we get baby carrots, but you can cut full size ones)
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Asparagus

Others you can include:
Corn (fresh or frozen)
Green beans (aka string beans) (fresh, frozen, or canned-drained)
Tomatoes
Zucchini
And really, any vegetable that can be eaten steamed or roasted can be added to your packets. You can even throw in fruits, such as apples and grapes!

Seasonings:
As with the veggies, there’s a wide variety of seasonings that you can use. Amongst our favorites are rosemary, oregano, basil, chives, butter or olive oil (this is entirely optional for flavor-no fats required!), fresh citrus juice (lemon, lime, or orange), Italian salad dressing, salt and pepper.

Making the packets:
Cut off a length of aluminum foil, about 20 to 24 inches long. Lay the foil out with the dull side facing up. Put your cut vegetables in the center of the foil, then sprinkle with your choice of seasonings (go easy on any liquids!). Next, double fold the ends and sides of the foil to create a sealed packet.

Cooking:
Preheat the grill or broiler (for a charcoal grill, see tip below). Cook packets on the covered grill or in the broiler a few inches from the heat source. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Charcoal tip:
To get coals ready quickly with no starter-fluid flavor, get a charcoal chimney. A charcoal chimney is basically a metal cylinder with a grate near the bottom, a lot of vent holes around the bottom and a few up the sides, and a handle on the side. Place the charcoal briquettes in the top of the chimney, then wad up newspaper into the bottom (under the grate). Don’t pack the newspaper in too tightly; you want some room for air to flow around the paper. Set the chimney upright on the charcoal grate of your grill or a fire-safe surface. Light the newspaper, and the chimney will draw the heat up through the coals. In 15 minutes or less, you have nice hot, glowing coals. Pour them into your grill and close the lid for just a minute to warm the grill before adding your veggie packs.

You can find charcoal chimneys these days in just about any store with a lawn and garden department. Or you can make your own (disclaimer: I have not tried these directions, I simply found them elsewhere; make this at your own risk): http://www.opentutorial.com/Make_a_charcoal_chimney