White Trash Vegan Cooking #6- Grilling Isn’t Just for Carnivores

[LeftyMom]

Okay, this isn’t strictly a recipe, more a list of ideas for things to barbecue during the summer months. No times are suggested since they vary on grill temperature, height of the rack and so many other variables. All of these things can also be prepared inside, just move the packet cooked items to an oven and the grilled items to the broiler or one of those electric indoor grills.

Hint: If you’ll be cooking with meat eaters it’s a good idea to line your section of the grill with foil to avoid cross contamination, even if you eat meat. Veggies cook faster and there generally won’t be ample time to kill off bacteria and other nastiness that flesh is heir to.

Main course: Grilled Portobello mushrooms are the easiest thing ever. Just remove the stems, soak the caps in cool water to dislodge dirt, then brush them with olive oil, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper and cook on the rack until they soften up. Serve on buns with condiments of your choice or cut up into strips with grilled peppers and make fajitas.

Side dishes: Remove tips from fresh or frozen asparagus spears, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with lemon pepper and cook on a high rack until they start to brown and the sugars begin to caramelize.

Packet cook cut up red potatoes, peppers, seasonal squash and other veggies. Try to get the potatoes a little smaller than the other pieces or partially cook them in a microwave before cutting them up so that they don’t take longer than the other veggies. Put the foil wrapped veggies in the coals to cook, or cook them in the campfire if you’ll have one. Adding some mushrooms or cut up bits of seitan or veggie burgers can make this a substantial meal while camping.

Corn can be cooked in the coals by shucking it, coating it with a layer of non-dairy margarine such as Earth Balance, wrapping it in foil and placing it in the coals, or by cooking it plain and then rubbing the kernels with a section of lime and sprinkling on chili powder just before eating. If at all possible, use an organic corn, the conventional is almost always GMO.

Beverages: It’s a BBQ. Your choices are beer, lemonade or water *, and water is for commies.

*Iced tea is also acceptable south of the Mason Dixon and in farmier parts of the Midwest.

[flvegan]

1. Can I throw some sliced

onions and peppers brushed in olive oil, foil wrapped, natch and a couple Tofurkey Italian sausage on there with yer grub?

Corn in the coals. I've always put it on the rack. I feel like such a...fool.

[LeftyMom]

2. You can put your sausage anywhere you want.

Try the corn with the chili powder and lime. OMG it's so good.

[flvegan]

3. So many things

I could say, but I won't. Have I mentioned lately how much I'm enjoying the "Ignore" function?

Next time I'm making corn, cobstyle, I'll do just that.

[LeftyMom]

4. Divine, isn't it?

Now I really want some corn. I'll have to get some on payday.

[Beaverhausen]

5. I love the corn in the coals thing

I'm going to do that. :hi:

I love summer!!!

P.S. You guys need to get a room...NOW!!!

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. One can also soak unshucked corn for hours and hours in water,

and then put on the grill, and they will steam in their own husks without the environmental destruciton of one use aluminum foil.

I grill whole asparagus spears, just coated with olive oil and sea (or Kosher) salt.

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. Grilled Broccoli kicks ASS! I peel it, slice it in half, sometimes thirds,

on the axis of growth, coat in olive oil and sea (or Kosher) salt, and grill on the top rack. Fucking AWESOME.

Zucchini are great - slice into 1/3" or so slices, oil and salt, and grill.

Same with red peppers, red peppers, yellow peppers, scallions, and hell, pretty much any vegetable at all. Even avocados can do well on the grill, but don't grill 'em for too long or they get sort of ughy (and cut them in half first, of course, and don't peel them).

[mzteris]

13. grilled avocados?

Wow. I never thought of that - I just eat 'em raw. Thanks for the suggestion!

I did make avocado soup once - it wasn't bad....

BTW - do you put anything on them?

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. I put olive oil and salt on them.

And when I eat them raw, I love to cube them up and mix them with some soy sauce. Goes beautifully together! And for real elegance at a party, cut some yellow or orange bell peppers in half, scoop out the insides, and fill them with the acovado/soy sauce mix and serve as is. Yummy!

Guacamole made from grilled avocadoes is freakin' wonderful!

[Schema Thing]

8. Hey Lefty Mom,

my daughter (14, a vegan for almost a year) used your chili recipe as inspiration (she likes to go off the page, she's just started cooking, and she's getting pretty creative) for a concoction last night. It was great, she even made a cornbread nan for it to top.

Thanks for the recipes, I'm printing them out for her.

[LeftyMom]

9. Awesome

:) That just made my day!

[leftofthedial]

10. I just did a Weber-load of squashes and green onions

sliced the squashes

coated them all in olive oil and seasonings



man that was good.

I also do potatoes a bunch of ways

just plain slice onions are great too

[WindRavenX]

11. grilled portobellos + tomato+ vegan cheese = awesome

:D

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

18. Vegan cheese sucks, except for the parm

x(

[LeftyMom]

20. I hear they have really good vegan cheese in the UK

It's called cheezely, and I'm told it's good enough to eat as-is or on crackers, which nobody in thier right mind would do with FYH.

Actually I heard a rumor that Redwood Foods is working on US distro for that and most of thier line, but I don't know if that's true or wishful thinking.

[mzteris]

12. grilled stir fry

I have one of those "holey pans" you can put on the grill - so I can stir fry veggies - any and all combinations.....

We also do veggie kebabs.

Grilled zucchini and/or squash are good, too.

I like to buy the red/yellow/orange peppers on sell and roast all of them. What we don't eat, I put in olive oil for meals later in the week.

ooooo - oooo

We grilled some peaches and nectarines the other day, too...... Yummy!


*Iced tea is also acceptable south of the Mason Dixon and in farmier parts of the Midwest.

Well - there's always LONG ISLAND Iced Tea! :rofl:

Also - would that be sweet tea?

[arwalden]

14. What Make These Cooking Ideas "White Trash"?

Doesn't sound very "white trash-y" to me. :shrug:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Trash

[yellowdogintexas]

15. grill them using the new flavored kabob skewers

I am not Kidding folks.
We tasted grilled onions and chicken cooked on a Thai Coconut flavored skewer at the supermarket Saturday...WOW!
Amazing how much flavor was imparted to the food just from the skewer.

They come in about nine different flavors.

[UncleSepp]

17. Cast iron skillets go on grills

You won't hurt a cast iron skillet or pot by putting it over the fire, and it's good for sauces and for little pieces of stuff. Usually, they can be found cheap at Goodwill, no sense buying new!

[Rabrrrrrr]

19. And for some items, the pan is just the right weight to put ON TOP OF

the food to keep it from rolling up; or in the case of, say, asparagus, from rolling off. Though I've never used it for that - I think it would cook the asparagus funny.

[Kali]

21. don't shuck the corn - just peel it back

clean off the silk (soak in water if you have time or just wet everything) and cook it in the "leaves" - done when they are all black and almost burned off. In fact I often put them on the grill while there are still flames, burn the heck out of them for a few minutes and then throw them in a covered pot to finish cooking from their own heat.

Another potato version is to cut it in half and insert a cheese(real or fake, I suppose - does it melt?)-filled green chili and bake that all together.


Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch slices and brush with olive oil, sprinkle salt, pepper and lots of dried oregano. Grill till semi crispy and serve with sour cream, yoghurt or relevant equivilant (tzaziki is good as a dip too)

[Flaxbee]

22. are you going to come out with a cookbook?

I think you should!

[LeftyMom]

23. Hmmm, I do have friends with a small press

I'm thinking now. Somebody run me to the hospital if my brain overheats.