Megan Scott comes to us from Blackhawk Living CA. She is also the owner of the top-rated vegan meal-delivery service, Planted Table, based out of Oakland. Enjoy her grilling tips to get veggies on the table!
During this time of sheltering in place during COVID 19, I have been trying to find comfort in simple activities at home, like grilling up some amazing veggies.
We recently had a weekend of beautiful sunshine and it inspired me to fire up our grill. I love the flavor of the smokey grill. A glass of wine and a good playlist help to make me forget the craziness of the times we are in.
My Grilling Must-Haves:
- Wood Chips and Smoker Box
I love cooking with wood chips, it is optional but adds wonderful flavor to your food, especially when using a propane grill. Place dry wood chips into mini smoker box and once grill gets hot enough your smoke chips will start to ignite.
Pro Tip: Keep the lid closed during cooking so smoke stays contained as much as possible to the food and only lift lid while flipping food. Long tongs are helpful to keep hands protected while working with a high heat grill.
Grilling Platter Technique
Heat up grill to medium heat. While you are waiting for your grill to heat, rinse vegetables and shake to dry.
Lay vegetables onto a large sheet tray, this makes for easy clean up. Keep the vegetables large so you can easily flip onto grates. You can cut them up if needed after cooking.
My Favorite Grilling Marinade
Mix a grilling marinade of your choice. My go-to is a combination of high-quality extra virgin olive oil, Spanish-smoked paprika, freshly minced parsley, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Grilling Rub Recipe
- 1/2 cup evoo
- 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup minced parsley
- 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Stir marinade and pour over your vegetables onto the sheet tray. Rub to cover all vegetables.
Pro Tip: I grill a few oranges by cutting them in half and placing them cut side down onto the grill. This is a great tool while you are cooking for decreasing flames (see below).
Lay the vegetables that take the longest to grill first and keep going into the next longest to cook.
Estimated Time for Cooking:
- Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes: 12- 15 minutes
- Cipollini Onions: 12 minutes
- Portobello Mushrooms: 12 minutes
- Baby Bell Peppers: 6-8 minutes
- Asparagus: 4-6 minutes
If you have a flair up or something really sticking to the grill, I use my tongs and squeeze juice out of the citrus to add flavor and liquid to help stop burning. I also use the orange to dip into the marinade and then coat the food on the grill in place of using a brush.
All Done Grilling
Once done grilling, place all ingredients back onto your sheet tray with the marinade. The wonderful thing about vegan cooking, is even though that tray had raw food on it, it is still perfectly safe to use and you can continue building flavor with the marinade on the tray.
Cut the vegetables to the desired size and enjoy.
I hope everyone can find peace and enjoyment cooking at home as much as I have!
By Megan Scott, The Planted Table