Smoky Portobello Burgers

This may just be my new favourite thing to do with a mushroom! Absolutely lovely!

My husband won't touch mushrooms with a 10-foot pole but I bet normal meat-eaters would be more than happy to eat these! :)
They are vegan if you skip the cheese so they make a great option for grilling if you're having a mixed crowd over.

You can make these into "slider-style" sandwiches using baby portobellos and dinner rolls.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 regular-sized portobello mushrooms (or 8 baby portobellos)
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 tbsp. BBQ rub (see below)
2 medium-sized onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. herbes de Provence
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I love this homemade one)
3/4 cup shredded cheese
4 sesame hamburger buns (or 8 dinner rolls)

BBQ Rub:
(this will make about 3/4 cup of rub. It will keep in the fridge if stored in an airtight container).
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/8 cup paprika
3 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. sea salt or kosher salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Method:
1. Prepare the BBQ rub by mixing all the ingredients together. Toss the mushrooms in a large bowl with 1 tbsp. of the oil and the BBQ rub. Set aside.

2. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and herbes de Provence and cook for 30 minutes or until golden. Remove from the heat.

3. Rub grill grate with veggie oil. Heat the grill over medium-high heat. Place the mushrooms stem-side down on the grill. Brush the tops with BBQ sauce and grill until soft and charred around the edges. Flip and grill a few minutes more. Place a little cheese on the stem-side of each mushroom and grill until the cheese is melted.

4. While the cheese melts, grill the buns. Assemble by placing one mushroom on each of the bottom buns and then top with the sauteed onion mixture and the top bun. Add a little more BBQ sauce to the buns if desired.

Reference:
Smoky Baby Portobello Sliders from the July/August issue of Vegetarian Times.

Changes:
*Used regular-sized mushroom.
*Used cheddar in place of gouda (I bet this would be fantastic with blue cheese!)

Vegetable Skewers

I have about 6 zillion things to blog from the last month so bear with me... :) Maybe I can figure out how to only publish a couple each day.

I love food cooked on skewers! When I taught pre-kindergarten I used to make fruit kabobs with my class all the time. Yum! Amazing how sticking fruit on a stick can get kids to eat it! lol :)
Note to self: Remember to get some great rosemary stems so I can use those to make skewers.

**Plan ahead. The vegetables will need to sit in the vinaigrette for at least one hour (or overnight) prior to grilling.**

Serves 2-3

Ingredients: Rosemary-Dijon Vinaigrette
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tbsp. grated lemon zest
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

Veggie Skewers
12 button or cremini mushrooms (stems removed)
1/2 red or green bell pepper (or a mix of both), seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 yellow squash, cut into 6 rounds
1/2 zucchini, cut into 6 rounds

Method:
1. Prepare the rosemary-vinaigrette. Whisk the vinegar, mustard, green onion, lemon juice, and zest in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and mix until the mixture emulsifies. Stir in the rosemary and then add black pepper and salt if desired.

2. Toss the veggies in the vinaigrette. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

3. Rub grill or veggie basket with vegetable oil. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Thread the veggies onto 6 pre-soaked skewers. Grill the skewers 3-4 minutes per side until veggies are softened.

Reference:
Based on Farm Stand Vegetable Skewers with Rosemary-Dijon Vinaigrette from the July/August issue of Vegetarian Times.

My changes:
I omitted the red potatoes and sugar snap peas that were called for in the original recipe (last-minute decision to make this!) I'll have to try those next time.
I used white wine vinegar in place of the sherry vinegar.
I used a green onion in place of a small shallot in the vinaigrette.

Veggie Stacks

A great way to use up veggies that are taking over your garden (I'm jealous!) or your farmer's market finds.

The tart gremolata provides a nice contrast to the sweetness of the produce that is brought out in the grilling process.

Switch up the veggies as desired to use up what you have on hand!

Serves 2 (2 stacks each)

Ingredients:
Gremolata
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. grated lemon zest

Vegetables
Grill rub (see below)
1/2 of a medium-sized eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 portobello caps, stems removed
1 yellow squash, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 tomato, cut into thick slices
Shaved Parmesan (optional). Obviously, it won't be vegan if you add this.

Grill Rub (this will make about 3/4 cup of rub. It will keep in the fridge if stored in an airtight container).
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/8 cup paprika
3 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. sea salt or kosher salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Method:
1. Prepare the gremolata. Pulse the parsley, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and zest in a food processor. Chill while preparing the veggies.

2. Heat grill to high heat (see tip below). Coat grate with vegetable oil.

3. Sprinkle the veggies with the grill rub (I only used the rub on one side of each piece). Place the eggplant and the portobello cap on the grill first and cook 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and squash and cook 2 minutes more. Turn veggies 45 degrees and cook 2 minutes more. Flip and cook another 2 minutes and then turn them 45 degrees and cook an additional 2 minutes. (If you're not bothered about fancy grill marks, cook 'em for 4 minutes on one side and 4 on the other).
Add the tomato during the last few minutes so it doesn't just complete disintegrate. :)

4. Layer them however you like. Here's how I stacked mine:
1 piece of eggplant on the bottom
Half of the portobello cap
Zucchini slices
Squash slices
Tomato
Eggplant on top
Drizzle the gremolata over the top of each stack and then add a couple pieces of shaved Parmesan if desired.

Tip:
Here's a handy guide for figuring out how hot the grill is!
Hold your hand 4 inches above the grill grate and count until your palm feels hot.
*2-3 seconds = high heat
*4-5 seconds = medium-high
*6-8 seconds = medium
*9-10 seconds = medium-low

Reference:
This is based on Summer Vegetable Stacks with Gremolata and Classic BBQ Rub from the July/August 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine. I also found that grill temperature guide in this issue.

My changes:
Grill rub - I didn't have celery seed so I subbed coriander (same amount).
Veggie stacks - I used a portobello mushroom in place of tofu (original called for 1 16-oz. package of extra-firm tofu per 4 servings). I also added zucchini and tomato. The original recipe didn't use the grill rub, I just thought that would be good on the veggies.

Pita + Pesto + Portobello = Perfection

No more wondering what the hell you're going to make for vegetarian friends next time you have a cookout! :) These were fantastic!
I think next time, though, I'll add some more veggies - maybe some grilled eggplant and tomato... Yum.
Just be sure to make extra - the meat-eaters may get jealous ;)

I found these recipes in the most recent (August 2008) issue of Cooking Light magazine and just made a few changes. The original recipe for the pita things called for "commercial pesto." First of all, it's one of the easiest things to make so I'd never go buy it. Second, I had two different types of pesto in the freezer. :) One was a vegan version - parsley and lemon pesto which I decided to use since I figured it would work well with the lemon rice. It did. :)
For the rice, I didn't have mustard seeds and thought that may be a bit weird anyway... I did, however, have saffron which worked wonderfully! Saffron may be the world's most expensive spice but it's worth every penny. I highly recommend keeping a jar in the pantry!
Saffron also imparts this great yellow colour which I think makes it look like totally fake FD&C coloured lemon yellow rice... lol :) It's absolutely not fake but it makes for a good conversation starter ;)

Speaking of vegan... this isn't a hard meal to convert to vegan. The only non-vegan components as it is right now are the sour cream or mayonnaise and the feta. Easy fix! You can get "Vegannaise" (seriously, that's the brand name.. I may be spelling it incorrectly but you get the idea) which you can use in place of the regular mayo or sour cream. Or, you can just spread hummus on the pitas and then throw the veggies in.
I'm also wondering what a hummus and lemon-parsley pesto combination would be like.. that could work, too! :)
Obviously, you would just leave the cheese off. While the cheese was a nice addition, I didn't think it was 100% necessary (yes, I had one sans cheese just to see). This would also make the dish lower in fat which is nice for everyone.

Here are the recipes!
Lemon-Parsley Pesto (Vegan)
This will make a bloody boat-load of pesto but it freezes rather well so make the whole thing! :)
It thaws in no time and is great on pasta, white beans, sandwiches, as a dip...

Ingredients:
4 cups loosely packed parsley leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
2 small garlic cloves
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
3 tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
Pinch of sea salt

Method:
1. Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The volume will reduce to about 1/2 cup.
You can change the amounts to taste (salt, vinegar, lemon juice) but the predominant tastes should be the lemon and parsley.

Grilled Vegetable Pitas with Feta Cheese and Creamy Pesto
4 servings

Another photo, this time with the cheese.

Ingredients
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise, Vegannaise, or sour cream (I always use sour cream in place of mayo)
1 tbsp. lemon-parsley pesto
4 whole-wheat pitas, halved
Lettuce leaves
4 portobello mushroom caps, sliced
2 medium bell peppers, thickly sliced
1 medium red onion, thickly sliced
Cooking spray
Pinch of sea salt
Good sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Method:
1. Combine the mayo/vegannnaise or sour cream with the pesto. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Arrange the mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions on a baking sheet. Coat the veggies with cooking spray and then sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle the vinegar over the vegetables and place the baking sheet on the grill rack. Grill 5 minutes on each side or until tender.

3. Spread the pesto mixture onto each pita half and then stuff with lettuce and grilled veggies. Sprinkle crumbled feta into each pita half.

Lemon-Saffron Rice (Vegan)
4 servings

Ingredients:
Rice (long-grain or basmati)
Sea salt
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 1/2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Couple pinches of saffron

1. Cook the rice according to package directions, adding saffron when you add the rice (crumble it a bit between your fingers as you add it).

2. Once the rice is cooked, stir in the lemon juice, lemon rind, and cilantro.

References:
The lemon-parsley pesto recipe is from JoyGotDots on the Nest. The grilled veggie pitas and the lemon rice are based on the "Grilled Vegetable Pitas with Goat Cheese and Pesto Mayo" and "Fresh Lemon Rice" recipes from the August 2008 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

Grilled Eggplant Rolls

So I didn't actually go outside and grill the eggplant - I just did it under the broiler! I do love grilled veggies, though, so this one will be made again once it's a bit warmer in the evenings! :) Mmmm, I can't wait for grilling season to begin! One of the benefits of living in San Diego - it starts earlier than lots of other places!

I had decided to make DH these yummy chicken breasts that are stuffed with cheeses for dinner tonight so I was glad to see this eggplant dish almost matched! The combination of tangy sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and olives was wonderful with the mild eggplant!

The recipe stated that you can use the stuffing as an appetizer on those little crispy toast things. I bet it would also be awesome on some crusty French or Italian bread or even some toasted rye! Yum! Have to remember that if I ever have the wine-cheese-chocolate party I keep saying I'm going to host. :)

For a non-vegetarian meal, you could use the stuffing on chicken breasts. Pound thin, grill, spread with cheese stuffing, enjoy! Gotta love versatile recipes!

This is enough for 5 - I divided the recipe by 3 since it was just me eating it. I had mine with broccoli and rice.

Ingredients:
Rosemary-Goat Cheese Stuffing
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed or 2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup soft fresh goat cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1 tbsp. minced black olives (I actually used kalmata olives)
1 1/2 tbsp. diced sun-dried tomatoes

1-2 medium eggplants sliced lengthwise into 1/4-1/3-inch pieces
Sea salt
Olive oil for brushing eggplant
**I apparently suck at slicing eggplant so I used 1/2 eggplant (it was probably a 1/2 pound eggplant). The recipe says someone with some knife skills could get 15 center slices from 2 eggplants.**

Method:
1. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with sea salt and allow them to drain on paper towels for 1 hour. Rinse the eggplant and pat dry. Brush lightly with olive oil on both sides.

2. To make the stuffing, combine the 1 tsp. olive oil, rosemary, goat cheese, cottage cheese, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. This can be done up to one day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.

3. Preheat either the grill or broiler. Grill the eggplant until you get some nice grill marks and the vegetable is cooked through (2-4 minutes per side depending how thick you cut it).

4. Spread 1 tbsp. of the stuffing on each slice of eggplant. Roll the eggplant slices starting from the smaller end. Serve warm.

Reference:
I really didn't change much from the original recipe. I just used dried rosemary instead of fresh (just gave it a good crush with the mortar and pestle!) and did not use oil-packed tomatoes which were called for in the original recipe. Mine were just dried and packaged.
The original recipe came from Karen Lee's book The Occasional Vegetarian - Warner Books, 1995.

My grad school teachers would have a heart attack if they saw me doing a reference that looked like that! lol ;)

Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

I fell in love with jerk seasoned everything when I was in Jamaica! Here's a recipe to duplicate it at home. Great on any kind of meat (I only eat chicken and fish, but hubby says it's good on pork, too!)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Method:
Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl. Coat meat with a little olive oil then rub with seasoning. Great on the grill!

Reference:
Pretty sure I found this on AllRecipes.com

Red Potatoes Singin' the Blues

Wow, had this a second time (ie: leftovers from last night) - it gets better with age!! Just be sure to wrap it up well. I would suggest not putting cheese on until the last minute so it doesn't go all weird.. Yum!!!
This is a slightly modified version of Bobby Flay's Grilled Red Potato Salad with Bacon-Blue Cheese Vinaigrette (I got the original recipe from Ashleighl on the Nest - thanks!! :) ) You can make this in advance - just don't add the parsley and cheese until the last minute. I served it with barbecued chicken but it would go well with sandwiches or anything off the grill.
***Breaking News Update!*** (lol, couldn't resist!)
Served these again for our dad's day BBQ... everyone LOVED them! My dad and father-in-law both have to watch their cholesterol intake so they had this salad sans cheese and said it was delicious! So, if you're not a blue cheese fan (or you're vegan), feel free to leave it out. You could even try this with a feta cheese... Needless to say, there were no leftovers the second time I made this!

This is probably enough to feed 4-6 people (depends on how much each person eats! There were only 2 of us and there are lots of leftovers! Yum!)

Blue Cheese Potato Salad
Ingredients:
2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed
1/8 cup + 1/8 cup (separated) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 red onion, chopped finely
1/8 cup plus 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar (does not need to be separated)
1/2 tbsp. sugar
1/8 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley (the flat-leaf stuff)
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Method:
1. Boil the potatoes for about 15-20 minutes until they are almost tender. Cut them in half.

2. Heat grill. Toss potatoes in 1/8 cup olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the potatoes cut-side down for about 3 minutes (I put them on the lower grill level - the grill marks looked great!). Turn them over and grill for another 2-3 minutes. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and let them cool off.

3. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add 1/8 cup olive oil, vinegar, and sugar. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Pour the onion mixture over the potatoes, add the parsley and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the potato salad onto plates and sprinkle with blue cheese.

Reference:
Original recipe from FoodNetwork.com

Jack Daniel's BBQ Sauce

I'm not a fan of J.D. at all so when we were given a big bottle of it, I had to go in search of some use for it! I found this online and just tweaked it a bit to my liking. It's an easy-to-make sauce and it's extremely tasty - do not be scared away by the long ingredient list!

If you'd like to make this recipe vegetarian or vegan, please substitute soy sauce (the lower sodium stuff is great!) or vegetarian Worcestershire (I like The Wizard's brand) for the Worcestershire sauce (Worcestershire has anchovies in it...) Other than that I'm *pretty sure* this recipe is ok for vegans. Please feel free to comment if I'm wrong!


This recipe makes 4 cups (read, a lot!) However, this sauce does freeze quite well. I make a big batch (usually half this recipe) and then divide it up into 2-person portions in freezer baggies. Just pull it out and re-heat when needed.

Ingredients:
1/2 large onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup Jack Daniel's whiskey
2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (Wizard brand is vegetarian)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/3 tsp. Tabasco Sauce

Method:
1. Combine onion, garlic, and Jack Daniel's in a saucepan. Saute until onion and garlic are translucent (about 10 minutes).

2. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a medium simmer. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Run sauce through a fine strainer to remove the garlic and onion bits.

This sauce is excellent on chicken and salmon. I don't eat red meat, but I am sure it would be a great topping for a steak or burger. For the salmon, I like to let my salmon pieces sit in a little Jack Daniel's for about 10 minutes (refrigerated). Any longer and the fish starts to break apart! Top with the BBQ sauce and grill it as you would normally grill a piece of salmon (med. heat - gas - about 8-10 mins, turning once).
For chicken, I just brush the chicken with the sauce on both sides and grill as usual.
Probably good on steak, too, but I don't eat red meat so I can't really talk about that! I am planning on making this with a steak for the hubby soon, I'll let you know what he thinks!
Shrimp? Maybe! If you try it on shrimp, comment on how you like it :)