When you think about grilling outdoors, foods like burgers, chicken and steak are what typically come to mind. While they are all perfect for the grill, part of my job is to push the culinary envelope, testing the limits of the imagination and the taste buds. So, fire up that barbecue. It's time for some thrilling grilling.

The way I figure it, everyone has a recipe or two for meat, poultry, or fish cooked on the grill. At the same time, many of you have already become familiar with grilling other dinner side dishes, such as potatoes and veggies. My goal for this article is to present some ingredients that the majority of you would never even think of throwing on top of a grill. What do you say we get right to it?

Cheese
Putting cheese directly on the grill probably sounds like a recipe for a horrific mess. While this is mostly true, there is one type of cheese that is perfect for the grill. It's called Halloumi and unless you're of Greek descent you've probably never heard of it. The irony is there's a good chance you've passed over it in your supermarket's cheese case. If your supermarket doesn't carry Halloumi, rest assured you'd find it at most Mediterranean, middle eastern and Greek delis.

Here's a recipe for a delicious appetizer featuring grilled Halloumi.

Grilled Halloumi Bruschetta with Charred Lemon (serves 4)

• 1/2 pound Halloumi cheese, sliced 1/4-inch thick
  
• 1 large baguette, sliced on the bias 1-inch thick
  
• 1 head of garlic cut in half crosswise
  
• Extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 2 lemons cut in half crosswise

Brush bread slices on each side with olive oil. Grill for 1 minute on each side. As soon as the bread comes off the grill, lightly rub one side of each slice with the cut side of the garlic. Keep warm.

Brush each slice of cheese with olive oil and grill over a medium flame for 2 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, grill the lemon halves (cut side down) for two minutes, or until charred.

Top each slice of bread with a slice of grilled Halloumi and serve with the charred lemon for squirting on top.

Avocado
If you're a fan of avocado, you will fall head-over-heels in love with grilled avocado. The smokiness and depth of flavor imparted on to the avocado is nothing short of breathtaking. It is an extremely simple technique that will wow your guests, no matter how you incorporate this ingredient into your dishes. Salads, sandwiches, and burgers will all benefit from this neat culinary trick.

One of my favorite dishes for grilled avocado is my Summertime Guacamole. Throw in a bag of tortilla chips and a margarita on the rocks and you're good to go.

Summertime Guacamole

• 2-3 medium to large-sized avocados, halved and seeded
  
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
  
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  
• 1/3 C red onion, finely chopped
  
• 1 jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped
  
• 1 small tomato, seeded and chopped small
  
• 1/3 C cilantro, finely chopped
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• Extra virgin olive oil

Brush the cut side of each avocado with olive oil and grill (cut side down) over a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, or until grill marks are achieved. Allow the avocado to cool. Remove the skin and cut into ½-inch cubes.

Place all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl, season liberally with salt and pepper and toss until all the ingredients are incorporated and the avocado is lightly mashed. This guacamole is best when served on the chunky side.

Romaine Lettuce
Be honest. How many of you are thinking I've lost my mind? I realize that grilling lettuce is about as counterintuitive as the theory of relativity. After all, salads are supposed to be crisp and vibrant. Well, guess what? When handled correctly, grilled Romaine lettuce not only remains crisp, but it achieves a smoky quality that is perfect in all sorts of salads.

The "Wedgetarean" (serves 4 as a first course)

• 2 Romaine lettuce hearts, cut in half lengthwise
  (Note: Hearts of Romaine lettuce can be found pre-packaged in the produce section next to the bagged lettuces.)
  
• 1/3 C red onion, thinly sliced
  
• 1/3 C English cucumber, thinly sliced
  
• 1 large heirloom tomato, chopped small
  
• Extra-virgin olive oil
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Dressing:

• 1 C sour cream
  
• 1 C mayonnaise
  
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  
• 1 tbsp white wine or distilled vinegar
  
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• 2 tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped
  
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1/4 to 1/2 C buttermilk
  
• 5 oz. crumbled blue cheese

In a bowl, combine sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, parsley and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Whisk in buttermilk until the desired consistency is achieved. Stir in the crumbled blue cheese and allow the dressing to chill for one hour.

Meanwhile, lightly brush the cut sides of the Romaine hearts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the hearts cut side down on a medium-hot grill and sear for 30 to 45 seconds or until grill marks appear on the lettuce.

Remove the grilled Romaine to individual plates and top with a desired amount of dressing. Place equal portions of the red onion, cucumber, and tomato onto each of the salads and garnish with coarsely ground black pepper. Serve.

Radicchio
For anyone who is unfamiliar, radicchio is the sturdy, purplish-colored lettuce found in many prepackaged salad mixes. Refreshingly bitter when eaten raw, the taste has a tendency to mellow when it's cooked. One of my favorite uses for cooked radicchio is as a side dish to any type of grilled red meat. And as long as we are firing up the grill, we may as well get double the benefits by grilling the radicchio.

Grilled Radicchio Balsamico (serves 4 as a side dish)

• 2 heads of radicchio, cut into quarters
  
• Extra-virgin olive oil
  
• Balsamic vinegar
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• Fresh basil, finely chopped
  
• 4 10-inch squares of aluminum foil

Lightly brush the cut sides of the radicchio quarters with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. On a medium-hot grill, cook the radicchio for 1 minute on each of its cut sides (2 minutes total).

Lay 2 wedges of radicchio on top of each piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with chopped basil. Close up the aluminum foil and place on the coolest part of the grill. Allow the radicchio to cook for 10 minutes. Open the aluminum foil and serve.

Peaches
As long as we're cooking our dinner on the grill, we may as well use it to prepare our dessert. This recipe works well with any stone fruit, or even pineapple. My choice, however, is beautiful summertime peaches.

Grilled Peaches with Balsamic Glaze (serves 4)

• 4 slightly under-ripe peaches split in half and the seed removed
  
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  
• 3 tbsp sugar
  
• Freshly ground black pepper (very course)
  
• Vegetable oil

In a saucepot, combine the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Place the pot on the hottest part of the grill and allow the mixture to simmer until it reduces by half and slightly thickens. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside.

Lightly brush cut sides of peaches with vegetable oil. Place cut side down onto a medium-hot grill and cook for 4 minutes.

Remove peaches from grill, brush with balsamic glaze, return to grill (cut side down) and cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove peaches from grill, garnish with coarsely ground pepper and serve.

Nice additions to this dessert would be a dollop of either crème fraiche or mascarpone cheese, a drizzle of almost any fine liquor, or crumbled Amaretti cookies.

Here's hoping your summer is filled with some thrilling grilling!

Kirk Leins has been cooking his entire life. No stranger to professional kitchens, he currently devotes most of his time to cooking instruction, food writing, and producing television. Kirk also provides his services as a personal chef in and around the Los Angeles area. He has made several TV appearances on both the national and local level, and is the Executive Chef for YOU Magazine. Sign up for Kirk's free newsletter and cooking blog at www.NoTimeToCookDinner.com.