Make the most of grill season by grilling most of the meal

Summertime grilling is in full swing. And my feeling is that if you are going to crank up the grill anyway, you might as well leverage it and make as much of the meal on there as possible.

Don’t stop at grilling meat. How about grilling up a bunch of veggies for a warmed chopped salad? Just rub some oil on the vegetables before grilling, remove them just before they are tender, chop them and toss with a little lemon juice, fresh herbs and salt and pepper.

You also can make great appetizers on the grill. I’m partial to the smoky flavor of this charred eggplant and garlic dip. You stick the eggplant on the grill whole and let the skin char up completely. Then you remove the skin and use the tender flesh that has been infused with the flavor of the grill.

Combine that with sweet roasted garlic (which you also do on the grill), and you have a new backyard barbecue favorite. And with eggplant being so low in calories (about 30 calories a cup), you’ll want this dip in your summer repertoire regularly. Serve it with cut up veggies for an updated crudite everyone will love.