If your garden is overflowing with produce, or you just brought home yet another big basket of vegetables from the farmers’ market, eating another tired salad is the last thing you want to do. By now, you’re probably getting sick of the same old sauté. But vegetables don’t have to be a boring side dish. When you think you’ve had more than enough zucchini, peppers or other produce, try one of the ideas below to add a little variety to your dinner plate.

Mix it up with marinades. Marinating vegetables for a couple of hours before cooking can be an easy (and low calorie) way to kick things up a notch. Wisk some olive oil, your favorite vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper, and your favorite fresh herbs in a bowl. (We recommend you use about 1 tsp oil and 1 TBSP vinegar per cup of cut vegetables.) Put your sliced vegetables (any mixture of veggies works) in a bowl with a cover or a Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over them. Shake or stir to cover all the vegetables. Refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 24 hours, mixing a few times to make sure the marinade is evenly distributed. Cook as you like, eat raw or toss in a salad.

Fire up the grill. That great summer cooking appliance isn’t just for meat. Instead of sticking to the usual sauté, why not get that grill going and cook your veggies there. Put cut, seasoned or marinated veggies on skewers or in a foil pack and set them on a pre-heated grill. Cook until slightly tender. Voila! Your veggies will have that great grilled flavor and you’ll have something new to nosh.

Get creative with salads. Lettuce doesn’t have to be basis for every salad you eat. Why not dice up some zucchini, carrots, cucumbers, and peppers, or whatever veggies you love (or have) and toss them with cooked pasta, barley or couscous. Drizzle with your favorite low-fat dressing and you’ll have a simple, crisp and cool meal for those hot summer nights.

Eating all of those vegetables doesn’t seem quite so tough now, does it?

How do you like to eat your vegetables? Share your ideas in the comments.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."