Veggie Boost

We have been taking advantage of the warm weather at my house by doing more grilling recently.  I often take advantage when we are going to be using the grill and make extra vegetables to grill along with whatever else we happen to be cooking.  There is something about food that has been cooked on the grill that makes it taste so much better.  Grilling vegetables brings out the sweetness in vegetables by helping break down the sugars.  This past week I gave my husband a few red and yellow peppers as well as an eggplant that I had sliced and coated lightly with olive oil to grill along with the salmon we were planning to have for dinner.  Throughout the week I’ll add the vegetables to my meals.  Today I used the grilled peppers and eggplant to make a “Panini”.  I added the vegetables to a thin sandwich round along with a slice of mozzarella cheese and a few basil leaves and toasted it in our toaster oven.  Later in the week I might dice some of the vegetables up and make an omelet.  I also love adding grilled vegetables to salads, pastas, and quinoa.  Often I’ll recommend to my clients who are looking to control their carbohydrate or calorie intake to add vegetables to pastas and carbohydrate-rich foods.  We tend to be volume eaters and by replacing some of the carbohydrate-rich food with vegetables it makes for a more filling and nutritious meal.