Green Options

We’re officially in the thick of summer, and that means cookouts and BBQs galore! Here are some crafty ideas to fancy up your next cookout and divert some trash from the bin all at the same time!

Eating fewer animal products is a great way to improve your health, along with the health of the planet.

If you’re not yet ready to give up meat altogether, try having a couple of vegetarian days a week.  You’ll soon discover the joys of meatless dining, and learn to appreciate the flavors and variety of vegetarian meals.

This is a great recipe if you’re wanting something slightly “meaty” and covered with spicy BBQ sauce!

Hard to believe with this balmy weather we’ve been experiencing out here in the Midwest, but really, truly, Thanksgiving is around the corner.  But even though there’s a chill somewhere heading our way, don’t pack up the grill.  Break out of the traditional root vegetable recipe box and break out the grill one last time this season  with some unique kabobs as a Thanksgiving side dish.  

I confess:  I’m on a personal quest to generate a little respect for root vegetables.  Easy to grow and store and with a decent serving of nutients, sometimes root crops need a little spiffying up with a dash of flavor and presentation value to earn some appeal.

Kabobs make a particularly easy dish as all the marinating and prep work can be done beforehand. All you need is to quickly roast them on the grill before serving.  Make a hearty batch as this flavorful tak approach to root crops adds up to tasty leftovers.  Grilled beets, turnips and rutabagas taste surprisingly good cold and also work great on an open-faced sandwich with grilled cheese on top.

While any red-blooded foodie enjoys a veggie burger now and again, it can get tiresome to keep chowing down on the same prepackaged bulgar patty as meat-eaters feast on a vast array of grilled options from shrimp skewers to pulled pork, salmon sides and steaks. What is the vegetarian-minded BBQer to do amidst the seemingly endless parade of imitation-meat options? Sick of soy and tired of tempeh, I’ve turned to halloumi cheese as my protein source of delicious grill flavor.

Halloumi has a high melting point which allows it to keep its shape and firm consistency when cooked. It is a fresh cheese, prepared much like mozzarella from goat’s or sheep’s milk. While it comes from Cyprus and is common throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East, I first encountered it when I lived in Brazil where it is served as a beach snack. A good place to look for Halloumi is a Mediterranian or Middle Eastern grocery, but some supermarkets have started to carry the cheese. I’ve even found it at my farmer’s market, where one of the vendors is like-minded when it comes to grilling. Preparations after the jump.

The name pesto derives from tradition of making this sauce in a mortar with a pestle. The following recipe, which I encourage you to use a food processor for, unless you have a few spare hours, proves that you absolutely don’t need cheese to make a fantastic pesto. Purchase fresh basil (or grow it yourself!), and find a nice fruity olive oil.

Advance Preparation: Pesto freezes very well. Defrost pesto at room temperature, about

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Editor's note: We're pleased to welcome Colleen Patrick-Goudreau to the Green Options writing team! Colleen has taught vegan cooking classes in Oakland, California, for seven years, and is a columnist for VegNews magazine, and a contributing writer for KQED radio's Perspectives program. Her first cookbook, The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks' Recipes for Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets, will be published

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