Got your grill on? Grilling in the summer means a less hot kitchen, giving your A.C. a break and therefore lowering your cooling bill. More $$ in for you and less pollutants out for the environment. If you grill with local foods you are supporting your local growers and using less fossil fuel to move the food around. So fire up that grill, get your forks and knifes out and get ready to enjoy summertime marinated vegetables on the grill!
6 (5 +1) Amazing Marinades for Grilled Vegetables
Todays post is taken mostly from Care2.com (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-marinades-for-grilled-vegetables.html ) written and originally posted by Melissa Breyer Jun 20, 2011. Read all the way thru for the last recipe from www.edibleparadise.comis not be missed! (Lemon Herb Marinade)
“5 Marinades for Grilled Vegetables: Who says non-meat eaters can’t have any fun with a grill? The culture of barbecue may be obsessively carne-centric, but I’ve known many a vegetarian who can perform magic with hot coals, some sauce and a squash. I’ve thrown together plenty of vegetable marinades in my day, here are a few of my favorites. The chemistry is simple–mix the marinade up and let your vegetables marinate in a shallow dish from between 30 minutes to an hour before grilling. For larger quantities, double the ingredients.
| Spicy Orange & Cilantro 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon orange juice 1 tablespoon orange marmalade 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes | Asian
2 tablespoons light soy sauce 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 1 teaspoon sesame oil |
| Brown Sugar & Bourbon
2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons bourbon 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper | Lemon & Garlic 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1 teaspoon minced garlic Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste |
| Maple & Wasabi 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon wasabi” | (Thanks to Melissa Breyer who is senior editor of Healthy and Green Living and writes about food. She creates new recipes that are posted daily to Care2.com, a natural lifestyles social network & website with 10 million members. If you have not discovered Care2.com now is the time!) |
I want to continue our HERB conversation and uses:
so… here is a great HERB Marinade – This seems to be a FAB Find of a Website as well! It is called EDIBLE PARADISE – (Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets,
Cooking seasonally from the farmers markets.) http://www.edibleparadise.com/
The website is FULL of great info. and beautiful images. As they say “Edible Paradise celebrates the year-round abundance of the highest quality, freshest food grown on the Central Coast by our family farmers at the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets. If you enjoy preparing and eating locally grown food, this blog is for you!” (Note: I am on the “other coast” and I still think this blog is for me!) The recipe below is from them.
♦Lemon Herb Marinade: Chef Andrew Cohen
INGREDIENTS:
3 cloves garlic, peeled and de-germed
1 shallot, peeled and diced coarsely
2 lemons, juiced
Pinch of salt ~ 1/8 teaspoon
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, most of the stems discarded
2 tablespoons each fresh oregano, marjoram, mint and/or basil, leaves only
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, leaves only
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves only
1/4 cup olive oil
METHOD:
Place the garlic, shallot, salt, pepper, and lemon juice into a blender and puree.
Add the herbs and blend just until chopped. Bits of leaves should still be discernible.
With the motor running, drizzle in the oil to mix well. Do not take too much time doing this or your herbs will cook from the friction and your marinade will be dull and tired tasting.
Immerse item to be cooked in marinade and let soak not more than an hour and a half. Fish not more than an hour. The reason behind this is that the citric acid of the lemon juice will “cook” the food before you get it to the grill.
Use on chicken, fish, and vegetables. You can even use it on beef. The marinade can be used as a sauce also. Before immersing the item to be marinated, remove a little and set aside until you wish to eat. Then, if you wish, you can add a little extra virgin olive oil to the marinade and use it as a sauce or dip for the finished item.
SOURCE: Chef Andrew Cohen