The focal point of any BBQ is usually the meat. But maybe you or your guests are vegetarians or don’t eat meat. Or perhaps you’d like to BBQ a nice side dish to serve with the main course. Luckily, you don’t have to limit yourself to grilling meat when summer rolls around.
Even if meat is the star attraction, it’s fun to add some variety to your BBQ menu. Why not try out some delicious side dishes that will only take a little prep time beforehand and can be cooked on your grill along with (or instead of) your meat. Just make sure that you have some heavy duty aluminum foil on hand and you’ll be set to go.
Wild Rice Pilaf
Wow your guests at your next outdoor event with elegant wild rice pilaf cooked on the grill.
The first step is to cook a cup of fresh mushrooms over medium-high heat with a little butter or olive oil for about five minutes. This step should be done in a saucepan and can be done the night before.
Bring out a foil pan, something that measures about 8×12 inches. Put your mushrooms in this pan; add two cups of boiling water. Next put in a quarter cup of dry white wine (don’t use red). Next add a half-cup of brown rice and a half-cup of wild rice. If you don’t have wild rice you can use all brown rice or half brown and half white rice.
Now chop up half an onion, half a yellow pepper and two ripe tomatoes. Add this to your foil pan. Then add a teaspoon of salt, a quarter teaspoon of pepper and about a half teaspoon of cumin. Stir everything together and then cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and seal it tightly.
Preheat your grill to medium temperature, and then place your covered foil pan in the middle of the grill and close the BBQ lid. After half an hour open the pan and give it a good stir. Adjust the temperature if necessary. Reseal and leave for another half hour. Your pilaf might be done earlier if your fire is very hot so keep checking on it. You want the rice to be tender, not crisp.
Simple Dessert
A simple dessert that you can make for a BBQ is grilled pineapple chunks. This is a healthy dessert but it tastes wonderful and takes so little effort. Simply cut a pineapple into chunks or rings, though chunks are easier to grill on the BBQ. Place them on the grill on low heat for a short time until you see light char marks. Transfer the pineapple to a serving plate and sprinkle with brown sugar. It’s delicious and fuss free.