My Plant-Based Family

Feeding My Family a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet, On a Budget

On the Grill

Fire Up the Grill

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I’ve already been proclaiming that Summer is here. It may be Spring for you but it is Summer in Arizona. Since Memorial Day is only days away I wanted to leave you will some grilling ideas.

Vegan grilling ideas

If you get invited to a barbecue you will be prepared. Just don’t go empty-handed!

portobello's on the grill

Portobello Mushrooms

You can’t go wrong with grilling Portobello Mushrooms. Consider grilling Portobello Steaks, Portobello Fajita’s, or Portobello Burgers. Mushrooms are incredibly versatile and work great on the grill. Since they are large they “fit” better and don’t fall in the fire.

Veggies

Many veggies can be grilled as well. Summer Squash, Onions, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, and Asparagus. I even grill Avocados, yes you read that right.

You can arrange veggies on skewers or just toss them on the grill. There are also really neat products available like this Emeril Grilling Veggie Basket that you can flip over to allow both sides to cook. Or, this Weber Style Professional-Grade Vegetable Basket that is open on top for easy stirring. I always loved eating kabobs but when grilling for company (and kids) these grill baskets make much easier options in my opinion. They are even Father’s Day gift worthy!

dips for a cookout

Side Dishes

Baked Potato Wedges, Potato Salad, Dirty Mashed Potatoes, Baked Beans, Chip & Salsa or Pico De Gallo are great side dishes if you are planning to grill.

If you are getting together with friends or family I always enjoy bringing stuff like chips and salsa, guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Green Chili White Bean Dip, Unfried Pinto Beans, Faux Cheese Dip for dipping. I’ll often bring a quinoa-black bean salad too. I like to bring chips and dips because these look “normal” to everyone else. I feel like dips are always safe to bring to a party. I sometimes feel weird bringing a whole separate entrée (unless I was asked ) to someone else’s party.

Drinks

Don’t forget to BYOB! I don’t drink alcohol and I’m rarely invited anywhere with it as an option (actually I’m rarely invited anywhere at all, I think everyone is too intimidated by my son’s allergies. That is the reason I’m going with. I’m fabulous, who wouldn’t want to hang out with me? I digress.) I prefer to bring my own drinks. Usually it is just water. I’m a water snob. We have a filter so I have a hard time drinking tap water.

Basically, don’t assume there will be something you can drink. I regularly attend events where lemon water is the only option. I prefer my water straight up. If you love lemon you must check out Sarah’s Stevia Lemonade at Gazing In!

gluten free vegan brownies

Dessert

Probably the most important part of any cookout. I don’t typically grill dessert but we occasionally grill peaches. Just cut them in half, remove the pit and put them on the grill. Serve them with vegan ice cream! It will taste kind of like peach cobbler without all the work.

If I’m taking dessert somewhere it is almost always my Gluten-Free Vegan Brownies. They travel well, don’t need to be refrigerated and everyone loves them.

4 Tips to Stay Safe in the Sun

If you plan to spend some time outside make sure to check out my recent post with 4 Tips to Keep You Safe in the Sun! I also share about learning a had a pre-cancerous mole years ago. If you don’t know what sunscreen to buy read the post!

This post contains affiliate links.

Portobello Burgers and Potato Salad

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I do believe I am out of my cooking slump! How did this happen? I fired up my grill. (Not to be confused with gorilla, my 3 year old was disappointed when he learned I was going to the grill when he thought he heard gorilla.)  

My husband and I used to grill A LOT! In fact, he is known for his grilling abilities in some circles. When we went plant-based last year we pretty much gave up grilling, until now. These Portobello Burgers and veggies were my first attempt at plant-based grilling. I can tell you it is quite a different experience, but I’ll keep those details to myself because I get somewhat disgusted when I think about actually cooking animal flesh.

Portobello Burgers 

Ingredients 

  • 2 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke
  • 1 Tbsp Agave
  • 1/2 c. water
  • Portobello’s (I pick bun size portobellos, one per person)

Do

  1. Mix all ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl or shallow making dish. Other spices can be added and ingredients can be doubled.
  2. Remove stems from portobello’s then rinse and carefully dry with a paper towel or cloth. 
  3. Place portobello’s in marinade to 20 to 30 minutes, flipping half through. 
  4. Place on a hot grill, check them after 10 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. (I needed to cook mine a little longer but my grill wasn’t hot enough.

Serve

I served these Portobello Burger’s with grilled red bell peppers and grilled onions on gluten-free buns (that were also put on the grill) and a side of Potato Salad. My husband had his burger with barbecue sauce but you could add your favorite toppings. 

These burgers could be cooked in the oven instead of the grill but it is too hot for that here. I told my husband if I turn on the over there had better be cookies involved!

Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • Potatoes ( I used 4 large New Potatoes but you could use a different variety)
  • 1 large pickle, diced
  • 1/2 to 1 medium onion, diced (optional)
  • 1/4 cup vegan mayo
  • 1 Tbsp yellow mustard (this can be omitted or decreased if you don’t like a really mustard-y tasting salad)
  • 1/4 cup almond milk (to get a creamer texture)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Do

  1. Bake potatoes until soft then let cool enough to be handled. I left the skins on. You could boil these instead of baking them.
  2. Mash the potatoes until they are close to the texture you like. I grew up eating smooth and creamy potato salad but I prefer it with more texture. 
  3. Add diced pickle and onion and gently fold into potatoes. 
  4. Add mayo and mustard. You could add more mayo but I’m not a big fan of the flavor or the added fat.
  5. I added 1/4 cup of almost milk to get a slightly creamer consistency. Some varieties of potatoes may be creamy enough without adding the milk.
  6. Lastly, add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve

This potato salad is great when it is a little warm and just made but equally good cold. You could add garlic, paprika, or any number of different spices. It makes a great potluck dish and is much better for you than it’s non-vegan counterpart. 

I ate this meal with a spinach-strawberry-pineapple  salad, YUM! Most of my salad was confiscated by my 3 year old who loves to eat “leaves”.

Are you a Plant-Based Griller? What are your favorite things to grill?