The classic summer BBQ, an American staple and summer favorite everyone looks forward to, will likely take on a new form this year. Neighborhood BBQs will be reduced to immediate families and those prize cuts of meat might simply not be available. While the traditional American BBQ of burgers and hot dogs will always be a perennial favorite, many people are looking to make the shift towards a healthier plant-based diet. The good news is that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t break out the grill this summer. Instead, there is a huge variety of delicious vegetables bold enough and hearty enough to stand up to that grill, so why not get out there and start cooking.

Personally, I am excited because as a plant-based chef, the prospect that a portobello mushroom in a balsamic marinade or a smoked chili sweet potato plank might take center stage is a great step towards improving our personal health and the health of the planet.

BEYOND MEAT

With access to meats limited, this is the time to opt for meat alternatives like mushrooms and sweet potatoes or to shop your garden, whether corn, zucchini, squash or asparagus. Mushrooms are a favorite on the grill because their meaty and hearty textures stand up well to heat and they act like a sponge to soak up all that delicious marinade. A great source of protein and fiber, mushrooms offer a variety of Vitamin B compounds and Selenium, which makes them ideal for boosting our immune systems. In a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, British researchers studied the effects of Selenium on Covid-19 and discovered that areas with Selenium deficiencies had poorer outcomes from the disease than areas whose populations had a Selenium-rich diet. So, now is definitely the time to embrace mushrooms.

A marinated portobello mushroom, sweet potato flank or cauliflower steak are great stand-ins for steak, while smaller portobellos or a couple large Shiitake mushrooms grilled and stacked with lettuce, tomato and onion can act as the perfect veggie burger. In fact, a lot of pre-made veggie burgers on the market don’t actually grill well, tending to be too crumbly and fragile to stand up to the heat and surface of grill grates. Some of the new Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger varieties have a better texture for grilling, but the jury is still out on how healthy these heavily processed plant-based burgers are for us.

We all love BBQ because of the deep smoky flavors. The great thing is those same flavors can be infused into a wide variety of vegetables and even some fruits using marinades and rubs, much like with meats. Marinades give loads of flavor to vegetables and make them far more interesting than just plain grilled, and chances are you probably already have on-hand all the ingredients needed to make a variety of marinades.

There is a simple formula when it comes to marinades:

1. Oil - Whether olive, sesame or grape seed oil, your marinade needs a bit of oil for flavor and to help prevent sticking
2. Acid - This comes in the form of citrus juices, like lemon and lime, vinegars or wine and contain compounds that help soften both flavor and tenderize foods
3. Seasonings - These could be dried spices, fresh herbs, chopped garlic or ginger
4. Cling – It’s good to add substances, like honey or maple syrup, which have the ability to help your marinade cling to vegetables. If you don’t want to use something sweet, try something creamy like mustard