Grilled Vegetable Salad: A Summer Revolt

We Oregonians aren’t used to having temperatures in the upper 90’s – nearly 100 degrees – in early June. Generally, we get a much more civilized, gradual ramping up to this sort of weather in August. My broccoli and cauliflower bolted in revolt. In solidarity, I refused to turn on my oven or stove in the house. Fight the (weather) Man!

But a person still has to eat, and eat well, of course. So this week I’ve been feasting on grilled vegetable “salad”. Now, remember: salad does not have to mean mostly (or even any) lettuce. This salad consists of a generous portion of grilled mixed veggies and fruit on top of a bed of spinach (or any other greens you like). I topped that off with sliced cucumber, herbs, avocado, and feta. One evening I added grilled salmon on top and another day included prawns. The un-recipe/general guidance for your own grilled vegetable salad follows.

Here the vegetables and nectarine are on the grill alongside prawns.

Ingredients:      

• Approx. 2 cups of chopped mixed vegetables and fruits per person. Include at least three things. Some ideas include:

o   Onion and/or scallions

o   Carrots

o   Broccoli

o   Bell peppers

o   Sugar snap peas

o   Stone fruit (apricot, peach, plum, or the like)

o   Squash

o   Asparagus

• Generous glugs of oil and balsamic vinegar (I don’t know – 1-2 Tbsp.??)
• Seasonings to taste (I was lazy and used Johnny’s seasoning this time)
• Big handful of spinach or other greens per person
• Toppings of your choice:

o   Grilled protein of choice – basting with a honey mustard marinade or dressing is a nice flavor compliment

o   Avocado

o   Cucumber

o   Fresh snipped herbs – I added parsley this time

o   Sprinkle of feta cheese

o   Chopped nuts

o   Dried fruit

Directions:

• Chop vegetables and fruits into bite-sized pieces and put in grill pan placed on rimmed baking sheet.
• Drizzle with oil and vinegar and add seasoning. Toss to coat.
• Place grill pan on grill (I used a gas BBQ) heated to about 400 degrees. Stir occasionally (about every 3-5 minutes) for about 15 minutes. Time will vary depending on vegetables used, but you want them softened and some charring or grill marks on the edges of some of the pieces.
• If you are grilling a protein to add on top, it can go on the grill next to the veggies.
• Put a handful of greens on each plate/bowl. Top with a portion of the roasted veggies. Add any protein and other assorted toppings you’ve assembled.

Assembled and on my table.

NOTE: If you don’t have a grill pan, you can use heavy foil to create a sort of pan or use a “camping frying pan.” No grill marks, but you won’t heat up your kitchen. When you don’t want to grill, this can be adapted to the oven either by roasting or broiling.

Variations of this fabulous grilled meal have been on my table several evenings this summer. I hope your summer rebellions have been just as tasty.

Velvet October Mushroom and Leek Soup

I cooked everything in the house today.

It started with roasting pumpkin seeds from the four pumpkins that were carved yesterday. Apparently pepitas are a gateway drug, because then I made:

•       Baked apples and delicata squash with Chinese 5-spice, to serve topped with Greek yogurt and a drizzle of agave syrup
•       Italian vegetable soup
•       Cream of mushroom and leek soup
•       Peanut butter banana muffins (from Detoxinista blog)
•       Cabbage and tofu Thai salad
•       Salted peanut butter cookies (from Smitten Kitchen blog)
•       Basil and almond pesto

 Maybe it was hearing the stormy fall day, thinking of the busy week ahead, or hoping to preserve harvest bounty for the winter. Whatever the reason(s), I was compelled to keep chopping, mixing, and stirring. I almost stopped when I ran out of peanut butter, but then I remembered the last of the basil needed harvesting. And so the pesto was made and before I freeze it I think I’ll put a dollop in my Italian vegetable soup for lunch tomorrow.

In this moment of obsessive cooking the one thing I ate (and licked every bit of it out of my bowl) was the cream of mushroom and leek soup. Those who know me will find this quite odd because I don’t care for mushrooms. However, this is actually just a texture thing for me; I do like the flavor. Boy did this batch have flavor. It was so incredibly subtle and velvety and rich and earthy and warm. It tasted of autumn with a hint of the winter to come. Perfectly, completely late October.

Before I get to the recipe itself, I’ll apologize for not having a photo of the finished soup. The beauty of this soup is in the flavor, and its appearance is somewhat plain. It doesn’t look bad; it just isn’t very photogenic. Also, I was so focused on cooking that I did not take many photos of anything. Here is the only one related to this recipe. These are the pretty oyster mushrooms I received in my CSA this week. They remind me of little wood-carved flowers.

Oyster Mushrooms

Ingredients

•       1 tbsp. coconut oil or cooking oil of choice
•       1 leek, white and light green part, halved and thinly sliced
•       1 very small or half of a medium onion, chopped (or another leek or a couple of shallots. I had a small onion so used that.)
•       1 ½ - 2 cups mushrooms, roughly chopped or sliced (almost any variety, or a mix, would work. I used oyster mushrooms this time.)
•       1 tbsp. coconut flour or thickener of choice
•       2 tsp. beef base (I used organic, reduced-sodium Better Than Bullion. This is the only thing keeping this recipe from being vegetarian – in fact, vegan – so if that is an issue for you, substitute flavor enhancers of choice.)
•       ¼ cup wine (I used red, but anything that isn’t a sweet wine would work. If you don’t have wine, use broth or water or more almond milk.)
•       1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
•       Salt and pepper to taste
•       Finishing oil (optional)

 Instructions

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and onion. Sauté about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add mushrooms and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until mushrooms are softened and have released their juice. You may need to reduce the heat to medium-low, especially if your pan conducts heat well as mine does. If the mixture begins to stick to the pan, add a splash of water or wine and reduce heat.

Add beef base and stir melt it in. Sprinkle flour over mixture, wait a minute, then stir to incorporate. Add wine all at once and then slowly add almond milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumping. Allow the soup to come to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. (You could also use a regular blender for this, but be cautious and allow soup to cool a bit beforehand.) I like my soup very smooth, but I didn’t put through a fine mesh strainer to be completely silky. It is really a matter of taste – from leaving bits of un-blended mushrooms to strained. (If you like pieces of mushroom, I suggest sautéing some in butter or coconut oil and adding as a topping or incorporating after blending.)

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a drizzle of finishing oil, like dark sesame or a good quality olive oil, if desired. I used sesame today. Bread for dipping is encouraged.

Certainly “cream of” soups are used as an ingredient in many recipes. This one is quick and simple enough to be used that way. It would also be a wonderful first course. But today I just ate it, with a bit of bread to soak up every last drop.

In this moment when there are a lot of things going on in my kitchen and in my life, this is what is on my table. I hope what is on your table is as deeply satisfying.

P.S. If you are hungry, please stop by. This soup is gone, but I’ve got plenty of everything else to put on the table with a moment’s notice.