No need to heat up the entire house by turning on the oven this summer.  Grilling these vegetables gives them a wonderful smoky flavor and brings out their sweetness. Serve as a side dish with your favorite grilled meat.

Time to table: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Healing Nutrient Spotlight
Excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B-12
Good source of riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, copper

Ingredients*
3 T. oil (choose a high smoke point oil like avocado, safflower, or  sunflower oil)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
Sea salt, to taste
1 large red onion, thickly sliced
1 large red or green pepper, cut into wide strips
1 medium zucchini or yellow squash, thickly sliced
2 cups large mushrooms

*Choose organic ingredients for optimal nutrition.

Preparation
Lay vegetables out in a single layer on a cookie sheet or large platter.  Stir together the oil, thyme, and black pepper in a small bowl.  Brush both sides of the vegetables with the oil mixture, then season with sea salt. Spray the grill rack with non-stick cooking spray and then heat the grill to low to medium low. Grill the vegetables for 10 minutes or until they’re tender, turning over once during cooking.

This recipe is very easy to modify.  If you don’t like thyme, substitute rosemary or just use salt and pepper.  Also have fun experimenting with the various flavors you can attain using a different oil, such as sesame seed oil.  And finally, you can choose different vegetables like asparagus, which is great when grilled.

Nutrition
101 calories, 3 g protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 1 g monounsaturated fat, 5 g polyunsaturated fat, 4 g sugars, 3 g fiber, 2508 IU vitamin A, .24 mg riboflavin, 2.4 mg niacin, .77 mg pantothenic acid, .23 mg vitamin B-6, 26 mcg folate, 5.5 mcg vitamin B-12, 85 mg vitamin C, 36 IU vitamin D, .31 mg copper, .98 mg iron, 23 mg magnesium, .17 mg manganese, 417 mg potassium, 4.4 mcg selenium, 76 mg sodium

[Ed. Note: Laura B. LaValle, RD, LD is presently the director of dietetics nutrition at LaValle Metabolic Institute.   Laura and her husband, Jim LaValle, R.Ph, CCN, ND have developed the powerful and life-changing Metabolic Code Diet – containing step-by-step, easy to follow recommendations for harnessing optimal metabolic energy and turning your body’s chemical make up into a fat-burning furnace.  To learn more click here now.]

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