Simple Sides: Grilled Zucchini

I have a husband who, if left to himself, would live on chicken fingers and pepperoni pizza.  And he did, for quite some time. { Upon reading this just now, Spencer adds, "Hey!  I eat peanut butter, too!"  I rest my case. }

Until we started dating, very few vegetables were even in his vocabulary.  Least of all zucchini.  { As my cousin Dave used to say, "that's you-keeny, not my-keeny!" } But I snuck in some grilled zucchini recently and he actually liked it.  It was easy to make and definitely qualifies as a vegetable, so I liked it, too.

Next time you're grilling steaks, burgers, chicken or anything along those lines... give these a try!

Grilled Zucchini

You'll need:

• Zucchini (one medium sized per person, depending on how many other sides you're serving)
• Italian Salad Dressing (I use the Kraft Roasted Red Pepper variety, but any will work)

• First, slice off the stem end of each zucchini.
• Cut each one in half lengthwise, then into three or four triangular logs per half (depending on the diameter of your vegetable, you'll get 6-8 logs out of each).  You just want to make sure that they're not so thin that they'll fall through your grill grates.
• Pour a little of the salad dressing into the bottom of a rectangular baking dish, just enough to thinly coat.
• Layer the zucchini logs in your dish, alternating with salad dressing, and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

• Place zucchini on the grill, perpendicular to the grates, and cook over medium-high heat.  Turn every 3-4 minutes as nice grill marks begin to appear.  You'll rotate each piece a total of three times to have markings on each side (including the green one).

Quick, summer-y... and good for you, too.  Enjoy!