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The Whole Smiths

The Whole Smiths

Whole Eating + Happy Living

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Recipes
    • Cooking Method
      • 5 Ingredients or Less
      • 30 Minutes or Less
      • Easy-to-Make
      • Instant Pot
      • Make Ahead, Keep on Hand
      • One Dish, Pan, Pot or Sheet Pan
      • Weekend Living
    • Dietary Guidelines
      • Dairy-Free
      • Gluten-Free
      • Grain-Free
      • Paleo
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Whole30
    • Meal Type
      • Breakfast + Brunch
      • Dinner
      • Lunch
      • Soups, Stews, + Chilis Too
      • Vegetables, Sides + Salads
      • Smoothies + Beverages
      • Dessert
      • Snacks + Appetizers
  • COOKBOOKS
    • Good Food Cookbook
    • Real Food Every Day
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
  • About
    • Meet Michelle
    • Food Philosophy
    • Michelle This Month
  • Resources
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  • Contact
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cuban grilled zucchini

One of my favorite summer dishes was always a good grilled corn on the cob. Something about how it got just the right amount of char on it and was hand-held really did it for me. Hey, what can I say. I’m a sucker for less dishes and burnt edges. I also always loved slapping extra seasonings on it that enhanced that grill-y smokiness. But now that we’re avoiding corn I needed to adapt these attributes to something a little more paleo friendly. And thus, Cuban Grilled Zuchini was born!

My sister-in-law makes a dish that is very similar that inspired this dish and the secret is in the seasonings. I cannot tell you how much flavor this butter / ghee sauce lends to the grilled zucchinis. In fact, you can try this blend out on just about any grill-able veggie.  Asparagus, artichokes, pepper, you name it.

This recipe has always been a crowd pleaser at our BBQs, everyone’s always asking what the marinade is.

Feel free to skip the queso fresco on top to keep it strictly paleo and I promise, it’s really just as tasty. In fact, you can leave off the queso and make the spice blend with ghee and you have the perfect Whole30 compliant side dish for your BBQ.

cubanzuch

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5 from 1 vote

cuban grilled zucchini

A great way to grill summer vegetables like squash and zucchinis.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time15 mins
Course: side / vegetable
Cuisine: Paleo
Servings: 4 -6
Author: the whole smiths

Ingredients

  • 5 zucchinis quartered vertically
  • 1/4 C. cilantro chopped
  • 4 Tbsp. butter / ghee / olive oil
  • 1/2 Tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 C. queso fresco crumbled or grated optional

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan melt butter or ghee with paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper
  • If you're using olive oil just mix ingredients
  • Brush butter mixture over zucchini spears to coat and grill for about 5 to 10 minutes until tender
  • Once you've pulled the spears from the grill brush again with leftover sauce, top with (optional) queso fresco and cilantro
did you make this recipe?Tag @thewholesmiths on Instagram
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Note: I only work with companies and products that I feel passionately about and that align with the Whole Smiths’ views and that this post contains sponsored content. While I am compensated for the work I do, my opinions and bad jokes are always 100% my own.

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Comments

  1. AJC says

    July 16, 2017 at 1:05 am

    This was absolutely delicious! For convenience, we used olive oil instead of butter, and skipped the queso fresco. Five guests raved about the grilled this zucchini and yellow squash! I want to try it again using butter and queso fresco.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Sunlight Swirl Smoothie (or Cocktail!) | the whole smiths says:
    June 30, 2014 at 3:48 am

    […] have a conversation. We grilled up some Copper River salmon (my favorite) as well of a batch of my Cuban Grilled Zucchini. I also wanted to make a special dessert for my dad that we could all […]

    Reply
  2. 40+ Delicious Paleo Zucchini Recipes! | Oh Snap! Let's Eat! says:
    July 3, 2015 at 10:25 pm

    […] Cuban Grilled Zucchini […]

    Reply
  3. Whole Food Diet: Healthy Whole Food Recipes for Eating Right says:
    May 9, 2017 at 2:32 pm

    […] image credit: thewholesmiths Get the recipe here for this Cuban Grilled Zucchini […]

    Reply

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Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet, I’m Michelle and welcome to the Whole Smiths. These days I’m a mother to two smiley girls, a happy wife to one fantastic dude and we live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Seriously though! Let’s have a stinky convo, h Seriously though!  Let’s have a stinky convo, huh?  As soon as I started cleaning up my food perspective, cleaner personal care products came into my world as well.  I didn’t even really think twice about it before but those worlds tend to collide. So here I am today not only mindful of what I put INTO my body (food) but the stuff I’m putting ONTO my body (products).  Deodorant was the first thing I swapped as the ingredients and effects of traditional anti-perspirants were most alarming to me.  But I was suuuuuuuper hesitant. I was not a person who rarely sweated. I was! In workouts or just through the day. I even carries a travel anti-perspirant in my purse during the day.  And yeah, that end of day weird smell of anti-perspirant “powder fresh” scent mixed with whatever was goin on in my body was... not good. You KNOW what I’m talking about!  So I was reeeeeeally hesitant about switching to cleaner products.  But it really was the best thing ever. It took a some time, I’m not going to lie. It took time to fond the right ones that didn’t irritant my skin and ones that... actually worked!  Today I use Beautycounter’s newly released refillable deodorants as well as Stank Stop from @fatco. I use both and honestly it pretty much comes down to which scent I’m favoring that day, that dictates my choice.  They both work fab for me and don’t leave stains on my clothing, smell nice and don’t irritate my skin.  And here’s what else, I do not sweat NEARLY as much as I used to. I was worried I would be a sweaty pig to put it lightly. But after time, my body adjusted and it’s really not even a problem. And no smell. It works!  And here’s the thing... WE ARE SUPPOSED TO SWEAT PEOPLE! So when we wear anti-perspirant I can imagine that throws off our natural balance.  So if you’ve been hesitant, give it a try!  I linked to the Beautycounter deo in my bio and you can visit @fatco to try theirs out.  Ask any questions in the comments and I’ll get to them for you.  God bless the day I am talk about my body odor (or now lack thereof!) in a public forum. 🙄🥴  https://www.beautycounter.com/michellesmith3?goto=/clean-deo
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