Healthy, Tasty, BBQ Options

[Genius_Cube]

Hi

I am having a BBQ tonight and I wasjust wondering what everyones favourite BBQ recipes are. I am a seared tuna kinda guy but maybe there are some folk out there with some more weird, wonderful and exciting stuff. Maybe even some veg/vegan ideas that go past the standard "veggie kebab"!

Regards

GC

[scorpio1980]

Sorry man wish I could help, but I say just smoke a pig. BBQ is delicious, and I live in NC which produces the best pork BBQ in the country. Nothing better than a plate of pulled pork with some cole slaw, and baked beans. Then down some home made banana pudding or perhaps make some homemade slow churned ice cream. Here in the south we might not always eat the healthiest, but we sure do make some tasty stuff. I usually eat healthy, but no way do I deprive myself of food I love. I eat unhealthy a few times a week, and love it.

[funchy]

When you say BBQ do you mean "fun food to cook outdoors" or do you mean "fatty, dripping in sugary-BBQ-sauce"? People seem to have different ideas what grilling means.

You may already know this, but do be aware BBQ and healthy don't always go together. For example, if you're grilling meats, the grill is a high heat environment which creates acrylamides (a carcinogen). BBQ sauces are also sometimes not the best: loaded with sugar, fat, artificial flavorings, and sometimes MSG.... so read the label.

One thing I can say is you can have a great summer meat without boring old burgers and not feel deprived! The idea that "all meals must have a centerpiece of meat" is so limiting. There are so many foods out there, and I honestly believe I'd have missed out on most of them if I continued to eat the SAD diet I grew up on.

If you want the taste of BBQ sauce without the bad stuff that comes with meat, there are plenty of fake meats that fit the bill. There's a BBQ "riblet" one of the big companies puts out that has all the taste/smell of the BBQ sauce; although it's not the healthiest of the meat-free foods, it doesn't have the saturated fat and other baddies of meat. For burgers, there are tons of veggie choices. I'd probably suggest Boca brand. Keep in mind that since veggie 'meats' aren't made of meat, the "cook it well so it doesn't kill you" rule doesn't apply. In other words, cook it enough to warm it but you don't need to overcook. Tip: since meat-free meats aren't full of fat, they may stick to some grills; coat them or the metal with something like a little olive oil.

When my friend runs the charcoal grill, he makes up pouches of mixed veggies in aluminum foil. A marinade, soy sauce, or other flavoring can be added. Then just grill along side your other things for a nice side dish. And because it's not on a stick, you can use any size/shape veggie you want. Tip: do cut them up to roughly the same size so they cook evenly.

Some people I know cook corn on the cob on the grill. I've even seen it cooked still in the husk, then peeled for eating at the table.

I'm not a big mushroom lover, but I see people grilling big mushrooms and serving them sliced, the way one might serve a burger patty.

Eggplant is also something that you may enjoy grilled.

Grilling large slices of pepper or tomato on the grill gets it softened, then you can add to something else, such as a bowl of spaghetti & tomato sauce.

One recipe site I visited talked about marinated and grilling chunks of pineapple on a skewer. If you google "grilled pineapple skewers" tons of different recipes come up. Here's one version that soaks them in tequila!

Lots of wonderful local fruits/veggies are coming into season, so that opens up lots of options too. A fresh fruit salad on a hot day is wonderful. In season around here are strawberries, so a dessert or drink based on them would be wonderful, eg. a smoothie, daiquiri, or a shortcake.

I went to a vegan's VegOut party BBQ a few weeks ago. They had meatless meatballs & dogs, a cold quinoa salad, bean salads, vegan-mayo potato salad, marinated cooked carrots, Mediterranean side dishes (something in grape leaves, I think), several vegan desserts, and too many other things for me to remember. There were so many choices, I didn't get to try them all.

One big plus of not having animal products involved: In the summer with the heat, things do spoil faster. Food poisoning is much much more likely with animal products. It's nice to do an outdoor meal without fretting "did the main dish or mayo-based salad sit out at room temp for more than hour".

[KtotheB]

Bake a sweet potato in the microwave until it's almost cooked then finish it off on the grill. Yum