I grew up in a household where hamburgers, hotdogs and steaks were the only things that were grilled. If we went beyond that to chicken or anything else more exotic, it was a rare day.

Don’t you think the grilling revolution, where everything from salad to desserts are now grilled, has really made more of an appearance in the past 5-10 years or so? I have yet to learn how to actually grill, so now that it has come about that all these goodies can be cooked on the grill, I get to pass on the recipes to my husband and get a night off from cooking. Works for me!

And yes, I do understand that it is kind of pathetic that I haven’t learned how to grill yet. The truth is, our grill knobs melted off the very first time we used it and my husband now goes through some kind of MacGyver moves to get the grill on and it frankly, scares me. Grill shopping is on my to-do list for this summer because I totally want to learn how to grill. If you have grill recommendations, please pass them on. Preferably a grill with knobs or buttons that don’t melt off… that would be nice to have.

We recently tried Grilled Bananas and were blown away at the flavor! Topped with ice cream and some ice cream toppings, we had the best banana splits, ever. Grilled pineapple and grilled peaches are also favories of ours.

If you know how to turn your grill on, ahem, then making grilled fruit is easy as pie (which is something else I seem to be challenged at, so maybe that’s not the best terminology). Either way, try it… you’ll like it! I promise!

Recipe: Grilled Bananas (Adapted from Food Network)

• 2 bananas
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• Caramel sauce for drizzling
• Vanilla ice cream (optional)

1. Preheat your gas grill
2. Slice the bananas, in their skins, half crosswise and then lengthwise so each banana is 4 pieces
3. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon.
4. Sprinkle the brown sugar cinnamon mixture over the cut side of the bananas. Allow to sit 5 minutes for flavors to blend.
5. Place the bananas, cut side down, on the center of grill. Grill for 2 minutes or until grill marks appear. Using a pair of tongs, turn them over and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the skin pulls away from the bananas.
6. Remove the bananas from the grill and serve them immediately, on top of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce.

The post Fruit on the Grill {Recipe: Grilled Bananas} appeared first on Dine and Dish.

We went to a block party last night and the instructions were to bring something to grill and a side to share. The party started at 5:30pm and at 4:30pm I was still engrossed in work and it dawned on me that I hadn’t made a side dish yet. With a trip to the grocery store on the plan for the weekend, I looked through my fridge and pantry and realized I had very little that I could just “whip up” as a side dish. Being a food blogger and someone who enjoys cooking, the expectations of what you are going to show up with at an event like this can be set a little high.

As I was trying to rack my brain for ideas, I decided to instant message one of my co-workers to see if she had any ideas. She rambled off a list of things, but it was the Cucumber Salad that got my attention. She had made it for her Book Club group the weekend before and it got rave reviews. She said lots of ladies asked for the recipe. The best part about it was I had everything, but the cucumbers, on hand. My husband was out so I called him and he brought the cucumbers home.

The salad was incredibly easy to pull together…we are talking a 10 minutes or less kind of salad. The aroma was tempting and I was in love at first nibble. The only problem was, my poor salad looked very bland. The green of the cucumbers and the green of the onions blended together and the salad had no “bowl appeal”.

I took my salad to the party with me and was disappointed when I watched person after person pass it by. Finally, one lady gave it a chance and when she sat down near me she said something about how good it was. A few more people gave it a try, but I came home with at least half of the salad left over. Of course, as we walked home, I nibbled and nibbled on the salad and it was almost gone by the time our walk was through!

So, my suggestion… please give this poor salad a try. I promise that you’ll like it! I wouldn’t suggest taking it to a pot luck because it really does lack that temptress nature. If you are having a sit down meal at your own home, pass this around and I can guarantee it will be a hit. It may not be beautiful, but it sure is good!

From my friend Deborah who got it from an issue of Cooking Light Magazine

Cucumber Salad with Rice Vinegar Dressing

3 cups thinly sliced seeded peeled cucumber (about 2 medium)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; toss to coat cucumber. Sprinkle with onions and peanuts before serving.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup salad, 1 teaspoon green onions, and 3/4 teaspoon peanuts)

CALORIES 42 (60% from fat); FAT 2.8g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.2g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 1g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 12mg; SODIUM 199mg; FIBER 0.7g; IRON 0.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.7g

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