food comas

I adore grilling vegetables.  It makes it feel like summer — and not the sticky humid Singapore kind.  But the breezy, pool or beach side type of summer BBQ that you wish would never end.

I picked up some zucchini to cook as a side dish for steak, as I was debating making the Zucchini and Almonds Natalya had made previously with her Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon.  But I came across this simple Grilled Zucchini recipe online and decided to give it a go.

The zucchini is marinated with some olive oil, salt and pepper as I normally do before roasting or grilling, like my Summer Squash Skewers.  But this recipe went a bit further to add some freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest, which gave the veggies a bit more pizzazz.  Plus, it made the presentation look pretty. 🙂

I served this with Flank Steak and Salsa Verde, Roasted Vegetable Salad, and grilled chicken sausages.

Grilled Zucchini with Lemon Salt (recipe by The Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients:

• 6 medium zucchini
• 1/4 C olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 whole lemons, zested
• extra salt and olive oil to taste

Directions:

Trim the zucchini ends and slice them into quarters, lengthwise.  Place them all in a very large plastic zipper bag.  Drizzle in olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 T lemon zest and the juice of two lemons.  Seal the bag and smush them around a bit so that the zucchini is well coated.  Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to marinate.

Prepare the grill pan or outdoor grill to medium to medium-low heat.  Grill the zucchini on all three sides until nice and tender and has those beautiful grill marks.  Set aside on a plate.

Pile up the remaining lemon zest and sprinkle 1 T kosher salt on top.  Use a knife to chop the salt and zest together to make lemon salt.  Add more salt if needed.  Sprinkle the lemon salt over the plate of grilled zucchini and serve.