Easy Summer Barbecue Grilled Vegetables Recipe

July 4th is upon us, and hopefully you'll be spending it with family and friends. Most summer holidays are spent at my house, with Mama C. cooking up some of her standard delicious grilled delights.

One of my favorites? Grilled veggies. Here's the super simple recipe.

Note: This is more of a loose guide than strict recipe. It's pretty hard to screw this up.

Basics:

• Clean and slice vegetables
• Toss with oil and seasonings
• Grill
• Eat

Gather up a bunch of your favorite vegetables. (Some are easier to grill than others, but hey, who am I to judge, go nuts.)

Standards for us are zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, asparagus, and scallions. We've done onions too...I'd suggest thickly sliced red or vidalia for the grill. You could try bell peppers, or anything else you like. Potatoes work too. Half the fun of cooking is playing around until you find things you like. (Grilled corn is also delicious, but doesn't really work for this recipe.)

Obviously you want to clean your veggies...this usually just involves running water, and perhaps a scrubby thing if you're fancy like that. Just make sure the veggies are dry when you're done.

Asparagus and scallions don't need any real prep...just cut the ends, and maybe peel the asparagus bottoms if they look particular woody.

Slice the eggplant into rounds, and cut the squash lengthwise. (As for thickness, I don't break out a ruler when I cut things. I guess it'd be 1/4 inch? Maybe 1/2? You want them to be thick enough to hold their shape on the grill, but not so thick that they take too long to cook.)

I like them on the thinner side because they tend to brown more and get good and caramelized.

Put it all in a giant bowl, and toss it with olive oil. If you're diet conscious, you can measure out the oil. (They'll be good either way, but I'll be honest, they taste much better when you're more generous with the oil.)

The amount of oil will depend on the amount of veggies. Don't go too crazy -- you just need enough to nicely coat them. Then sprinkle them with some herbal seasonings (Mrs. Dash is usually what we use, but again, go with what you like.) I usually salt them after they cook (kosher or sea salt for sure!), but that's a personal preference.

Now, when you cook them, it's probably easier to use a grill tray or some other gadget, but Mama C. has no patience for that stuff, so we throw them right on the grill. (Yes, sometimes things slip through, and it's sad, but usually it's fine.)

Just put the food perpendicular to the grates and you should have no issues.

Put them on a medium high grill and wait. Depending on the thickness and type of the vegetables, it will take about 2-10 minutes per side. When they start to get nice grill marks or a good caramel color, flip 'em.

My favorite is the scallions and the zucchini...I like them to get really soft, and super caramelized. Amazing.

So easy, and they always go fast!

Have an easy summer recipe? Share it in the comment section below!