Fire it up with fruits and vegetables
By Susan Selasky
Knight Ridder News Service
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Grilling is not just for meat lovers. Vegetarians — and those who are cutting back on meats for health reasons — can enjoy great foods hot off the grill too, from tofu to caramelized vegetables and fruits.
But most vegetables and fruits need some care when grilling. They are delicate, cook quickly and have almost no fat, which means they will stick to the grill. Some vegetables, like zucchini and corn, are also easy to burn on the grill because they have natural sugars like fruits do. A safe bet for most fruits and vegetables is to grill them on a cleaned, well-oiled grill grate or use a perforated sheet or vegetable basket designed for the grill. Also, don't cut or slice the vegetables too small.
Chef Thomas Lasher of Inn Season Cafe in Royal Oak, Mich., offers this grilling advice for vegetables: When marinating, think citrus flavors and don't marinate too long. Just before grilling, brush fruits or vegetables lightly with a nice olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt.
Grilled vegetables can be served as a side dish, over hot pasta, in cold pasta salads, tossed with fresh salad greens or scattered on grilled pizza, ciabatta or focaccia bread.
You can also make patties from vegetables, but that can be a challenge. Many raw veggie burger patties can easily fall apart, or the resulting burger can be as dry as sawdust. The trick is having enough binding ingredients such as pureed beans and breadcrumbs and chilling the patties a good half-hour before cooking.
Tofu, a source of protein, is a staple in many vegetarian eating plans. Use firm tofu and press it to further remove moisture. You can grill tofu on a perforated pan to ensure that it doesn't stick to the grill. Or, if you want to be sure the tofu is marked, lightly oil the grill, double-skewer the tofu (push two skewers lengthwise through the body of each tofu slice). Always soak wooden skewers in cold water for at least an hour before using, to prevent them from burning.
Lasher's advice for grilling proteins such as tofu and tempeh is to marinate them overnight, then pour a marinade over them after they are grilled. "This way they'll absorb even more flavor," says Lasher.
One technique that can help in grilling fruits and vegetables is offset grilling, in which the food is placed not over the flame or coals, but on a cooler part of the grill. This is accomplished in an ordinary charcoal- or wood-burning grill by mounding the coals to one side and placing the food on the other. If your gas grill has dual controls, you can turn off one set of burners and set the food to one side of the burners that are still operating. If you have only one set of controls, turn the flame to low and arrange the food as far from the source of heat as possible.
This recipe can be used with pineapple, firm mango or other fruit. Elizabeth Karmel writes in "Taming the Flame" that, "We associate balsamic vinegar with lettuce and salad dressings but it has a natural affinity for fruit, especially stone fruit."
WHITE PEACHES MARINATED IN BALSAMIC SYRUP
Cut the fruit in half and remove the pits. Brush with the lemon juice and set aside.
In a small saucepan over low heat combine the balsamic vinegar, water, sugar and orange zest. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is melted. Add a pinch of salt and take it off the heat. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Pour the vinegar mixture over the fruit and let it sit for 10 minutes, turning occasionally to submerge all cut sides in the marinade.
Build a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium heat.
Remove the fruit from the liquid and reserve the marinade in a small saucepan. Simmer the marinade over medium-low heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 20 minutes; set aside. Transfer to a bowl.
When the grill is ready, place the fruit, cut-side down, over direct heat. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until marked with grill marks. Turn the fruit over and grill for 5 to 7 minutes or until warmed through and the skin begins to peel away from the fruit. Remove the fruit from the grill and place it back into the reduced marinade and let sit for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or cold with a drizzle of the reduced marinade.
From "Taming the Flame: Secrets for Hot-and-Quick Grilling and Low-and-Slow BBQ" by Elizabeth Karmel (Wiley, $24.95).
Makes 4 servings.
Here's a Southwest-accented recipe that combines tofu, fruit and vegetables in kebabs flavored with the adobo sauce — the fiery, smoky juice of canned chipotle chilies, found in the Hispanic section of the supermarket. This is a good ingredient to get to know; it adds a great deal to salsas and such. Be sure to cut the tofu and vegetables into the same size so they grill evenly. Chipotle chiles are actually smoked and dried jalapeno chiles. Add more chipotles or adobo sauce to your liking. This is about as healthful a recipe as you can get on the grill, but no one will feel deprived as it's both delicious and filling.
GRILLED TOFU KEBABS CHIPOTLE WITH CORN ON THE COB AND ASPARAGUS
For the chipotle marinade:
For the tofu kebabs:
To make the chipotle marinade, in a glass measuring cup whisk together the stock, tamari, chipotle, adobo sauce and garlic. Add the mustard, onion and cilantro.
To make the kebabs, slice each block of tofu in half horizontally and, in a cross-hatch pattern, make 2 slices vertically and 2 slices horizontally for a total of 36 cubes. Place the tofu in a nonreactive 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour the marinade over the tofu, cover and refrigerate for one to 24 hours.
Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. Soak 8 large (several more smaller) bamboo skewers in hot water for 30 minutes.
Thread the tofu, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes and pineapple alternately on the skewers, and set aside.
Blanch the corn and set aside. Place the kebabs over the fire and set the corn and asparagus on the grill. Turning carefully and basting the vegetables and tofu often with the marinade, cook for about 15 minutes, or until done, taking care that the vegetables don't burn. Remove from the grill and serve.
From "The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook" by Vegetarian Times Magazine (John Wiley & sons, $34.95).
Makes 8 servings.
If there's a vegetarian in the crowd when you're planning a burger party, here's an idea. You will need a food processor for this recipe. Add more pureed beans, if needed, to help bind the mixture. This may look like a lot of ingredients, but most are pantry staples.
SPEEDY VEGGIE BURGERS
Break the bread into pieces and place in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse the bread into crumbs; you should have at least 2 cups. Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl. Put the almonds in the food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the almonds and coriander to the bowl.
In the food processor, finely chop the garlic, onion, fennel or celery and cilantro. Add 1 1/2 cups of the beans and pulse until the beans are mixed in and mostly chopped (but not totally pureed). Transfer the mixture to the bowl. Add the red pepper, wheat germ or rolled oats, salt and pepper to taste and olive oil. Stir well. Form the mixture into six patties. If the mixture seems too dry, process the remaining 1/2 cup beans in the food processor until smooth. Mix in enough of the pastelike bean mixture until the patties hold together. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes before grilling.
Preheat the grill to medium-high. When the grill is ready, oil the grill grates.
Place the burger on the hot grate and grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and serve the burger on buns topped with tzadziki sauce and sprouts.
Adapted from "Vegetarian Planet" by Didi Emmons (Harvard Common Press, $21.95).
Makes 6 servings.
This is a traditional Greek yogurt sauce that can be used as a dip or condiment. The sauce will keep up to one week in the refrigerator.
TZADZIKI
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
2 1/2 cups plain, low-fat yogurt
3 cloves garlic, peeled, ends removed, pressed or finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried mint, crushed
Salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons chopped green onion or chives
Finely dice or coarsely shred the cucumber into a medium bowl. Mix in the yogurt, garlic, mint, salt, mint leaves and green onions. Cover and chill for at least one hour. Just before serving, sprinkle with fresh mint leaves.
Adapted from "Mediterranean Cooking: The Healthful Way," by Marlena Spieler (Prima Publishing, $18).
Makes 8 servings.
GRILLED SWEET POTATO SALAD
This is a vegan-friendly recipe. The sweet potatoes need to be watched carefully on the grill because they may char quickly. Be sure to slice them no more than 1/2-inch thick and no less than 1/4 inch. To get the grilled crosshatch marks, turn the slices 90 degrees several minutes before flipping them.
CILANTRO-LIME VINAIGRETTE
1 teaspoon grated or minced lime zest
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
Salt to taste
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/2-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, washed, cored, seeded, diced
2 green onions, white and tender green parts, washed, sliced
3 tablespoons orange, mango or pineapple juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To make the vinaigrette, in a large bowl combine the lime zest, lime juice and vinegar. Whisk in the oil until completely blended. Stir in the cilantro, garlic and salt. Add the sweet-potato slices to the vinaigrette and marinate just a few minutes.
Preheat or prepare the grill for medium-low heat. When the grill is ready, transfer the potato slices to the grill using a slotted spoon. Grill, turning occasionally and basting with some of the vinaigrette until the potatoes are fork tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the grilled potatoes and place back in the remaining vinaigrette. Add the red peppers, green onions, juice, salt and pepper. Toss gently and serve immediately.
From Vegetarian Times magazine, June 2005 issue.
Makes 4 generous servings.
