Lesson 3: Meal Planning
Grilling and Special Occasions
Summer evenings are perfect for backyard barbeques. Everyone loves to gather on the patio and enjoy the aroma of a smoking grill. While most people think of barbeques as meat, vegetables and even fruits can be grilled as well.
The easiest way is to first scrub vegetables well and then cut larger ones into bite-size pieces or parboil them for 10 or 15 minutes first. Then marinate in vegetable oil and your favorite seasonings for a few minutes or up to 12 hours. I like black pepper, garlic powder, or fajita seasoning. Drain and place them on a grilling tray 4 to 6 inches above a fire or hot coals. Brush with more marinade as you turn them occasionally since vegetables have no fat and will stick. Grill until brown and tender.
Sweet potatoes are delicious cut into slices, brushed with oil, and grilled for 15 to 20 minutes. Corn on the cob can be buttered, seasoned, and wrapped in foil and turned frequently on the grill until tender. Or you can thread an assortment of marinated carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, red potatoes, onions, cauliflower, bell pepper pieces, cherry tomatoes, or anything else you like, onto a skewer, for kabobs, and grill until brown and tender.
There’s nothing like tasty grilled burgers and these can be vegetable as well. Try some of the soy versions until you find one you like and dress it up just as you would the meat versions with mustard/mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheese, and onion. Add chili sauce, onions and cheese or sauerkraut to a grilled veggie hot dog and you won’t be able to tell the difference.
For more ideas, browse through 200 recipes, including a chapter devoted to fruits and desserts, in The Vegetarian Grill.
There's even a delicious veggie option for Thanksgiving and Christmas. See http://vegweb.com/food/subs/turkey2.shtml
Tropical smoothies make refreshing treats around the patio or poolside, too. Experiment with tropical fruits and ice cubes in juice or vanilla soymilk until you find a flavor you like.
Tropical Breeze Smoothie
1 15 oz can pineapple chunks in juice
1 small banana, sliced
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 Tbsp wheat germ or dry, instant oatmeal
1 cup pina colada yogurt
2 tsp coffee creamer
1 cup vanilla soymilk
1 cup ice cubes
Blend until smooth. Serves four to five.
Tips: For more tropical flavor, you can also open a can of frozen orange/peach/mango concentrate, scoop out a spoonful to add to the smoothie, then recap and return to freezer.
Bananas will always be available for smoothies if you slice them and freeze them.
