Having the last few days warm up so much has lifted my spirits immensely. I am a creature of the sunshine. It never ceases to amaze me how much the weather effects my mood and general happiness. It's a wonder I survive our sometimes harsh and long winter months here in Utah. I have spent a lot of the last few days outside with my kids in our back yard. I am loving tending to our newly planted flower pots and vegetable starts for our garden. We are all loving it! Even my chickens (all six of them) are strolling about the yard with feathers fluffed up. I think spring brings along with it a promise for a fresh start in some ways. I don't ever find myself making (or more like keeping) many goals during the icky New Years months, but in spring I do. I find tons of motivation that has been evading me all these winter months!
During Springtime I make all kinds of fun plans to enjoy the out of doors during the summer and fall. We decide on hikes, boating trips, plan our garden that will keep us busy all season and the list goes on! One of my favorite part of summer plans is Barbecuing. My family is constantly finding reasons to get together with family and friends to "cook out". This is the epitome of Summer fun in my eyes. To celebrate this glorious sunny weather I invited my parents and little sister over for a Springtime BBQ in my back yard. We barbecued bratwursts, chicken and a huge batch of grilled veggie fries with dipping sauces! They were so much fun to make, and came out so crispy and good. I will be making these soon for my husband who was unlucky enough to miss out on these. I hope you can find some fun Summer activities to celebrate with your loved ones.
So come grill along with me! Let's make some Grilled Veggie Fries with dipping sauces!
I love root vegetables! What better way to enjoy them than to grill them up into fries! First you need two large sweet potatoes (approximately 3 pounds), 2 large parsnips, and 6 carrots.
Wash and peel them.
Cut up your veggies into fries, trying to keep them a uniform size if at all possible. I cut mine to about 1/2 inch thickness.
Oh those pretties are going to be good!
(Oh look! My herbs are smiling at me!) If you don't have fresh herbs growing at your home I highly suggest planting some! They are super easy to keep alive, and you can't beat the ease of fresh herbs on hand at all times. It's a win win. Collect a smattering of fresh herbs. I used flat leaf parsley, dill, oregano, basil and cilantro. Give your herbs a rough chop. Add your herbs to a small bowl. Add olive oil, minced garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Whisk until combine and set aside.
In a large stock pot boil 2 quarts water and bring to a rolling boil. Add some salt to the water.
Toss in veggie fries. Boil on medium-high for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and strain veggies. Run them under cold water to cool them down and stop the cooking process. The veggies should be just barely tender.
Once the veggies are cooled toss them well in the herb/oil mixture. Preheat grill to medium. When it is hot, place the fries on the grill and cook until crispy and charred slightly, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from grill and serve hot with some good dipping sauce. I made a BBQ sauce dip and a creamy lime herb dipping sauce. You can make the sauce ahead and keep in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Recipe for my two dipping sauces are below.
Oh boy these were tasty. You would be surprised how many main dishes these would go well with. Tonight I served them alongside a bratwurst dog with curly cabbage and pickles. It was a great first BBQ to kick of my happy season! Yay!
Thanks for cooking along with me! I wish you a fantastic Spring and Summer, filled with family and friends. Oh, and don't forget the Barbecues!
CLICK ON RECIPE TO VIEW AN ENLARGED PRINTABLE PDF
No comments:
Post a Comment