Grilling

We recently got a new gas grill and naturally have been grilling up a storm on these summery nights. Grilling is simple and straightforward cooking, but you can still get more creative than the standard burgers, hot dogs, and fish - here, for example, are the grilled veggie towers I made for Labor Day:

How I did it:
1) Slice and salt eggplant (I got a gorgeous eggplant from the farmer's market with marbled skin of white and lavender purple) to draw out the moisture before grilling.
2) Fire up the grill. Lay slices of eggplant over medium heat (we have a gas grill, and since each grill is different of course, the temperature will vary) and cook until you have nice grill marks on the eggplant flesh, then flip to the other side. The eggplant will cook longer than the asparagus, so get it on the grill first.
3) Trim the asparagus and toss on the grill with a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
4) While the veggies cook, make the fresh herbed ricotta - stir into part skim ricotta cheese freshly chopped herbs - I used basil, thyme, parsley and a bit of chives, just picked from the garden) and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
5) Remove the veggies from the grill and make the towers: spoon a dollop of herbed ricotta on top of a piece of eggplant, top with some asparagus spears, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Soul of Summer

As today is the official first day of summer, here's a list of interesting healthy meals to try this season:

• Vegetable Napoleon: grilled summer squash, zucchini, Portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, carmelized onions on a bed of sauteed spinach with saffron jus
• Grilled shrimp with peach and blueberry salsa
• Spiced pomegranate crusted tuna with grilled corn and asparagus
• Summer squash topped with fresh pesto
• Spinach salad with fresh mango, sunflower seeds, and a shallot-apricot dressing
• Fresh avocado and orange salad with chili lime dressing, topped with sprouts

To welcome in the heat wave, last night for dinner we had Cajun spice-crusted flounder with grilled corn, zucchini and red bell peppers, served out on the back porch of course. Summer is the time to really take advantage of all the fresh local produce in season, and eat it outside!