Trying to eat vegetarian but love to grill!

[galka]

We are looking for suggestions for main courses that can be done on the grill on the summer. We grill plenty of veggies but what else?
Thank you in advance!

[Chocolatechipkt]

Tofu meatballs of all sorts: I'm not a vegetarian, but two in my family are, so I've been getting some good practice with them. This Vietnamese meatball recipe was a big hit, substituting pressed, then crumbled tofu for the pork and soy sauce for the fish sauce: http://articles.boston.com/2010-08-25/lifestyle/29286900_1_fish-sauce-skewers-meatballs

Similarly, when I grilled Greek chicken last weekend, I also made Greek tofu, using fresh oregano, lots of lemon zest and juice, salt and peper etc.

I also tried this recipe recently: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/grilled-corn-and-cheese-cakes-recipe/index.html
I thought it could use a little extra seasoning, but we were short a few chivese so that could be part of it. And corn is coming in now, so I bet fresh corn would make it even better.
Here's my pic: http://areyouhungryyet.blogspot.com/2...

[curlykhan]

I haven't tried it, but maybe polenta?

[goodhealthgourmet]

polenta rocks on the grill. believe it or not, so does steel-cut oatmeal when treated similarly.

[ninrn]

Polenta on the grill -- great suggestion. Do you add herbs or cheese or something to the "oatmeal polenta", or do you just do it plain?

[goodhealthgourmet]

it really depends on what i'm serving it with. if it's a side dish or the base for an entree i usually do add herbs, spices, cheese or other flavorings to complement the rest of the dish.

but it's also wonderful as a dessert - top it with your favorite sauce, warm fruit compote, sweetened whipped cream or ricotta...or use it in place of cookies/wafers to build an ice cream sandwich or napoleon.

[jvanderh]

Here's a recipe for sturdy black bean burgers: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitche... that hold up on the grill.

[GraceW]

-Smart Dogs
-Non-GMO Boca Burgers
-Make patties out of black beans, lentils, spinach, and feta (probably egg-yolks to bind it together)
-Grilled bananas plus nut-butter

[sushigirlie]

The halloumi suggestion is excellent. Just sprinkle a little bit of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil on the grilled halloumi.

Grilled marinated tofu is an acquired taste but it's a taste worth acquiring.

[chefathome]

We love to direct-grill halloumi as well as thickly-sliced provolone, drizzle with oil and lemon juice as you mention and sprinkle with fresh herbs and/or edible flowers. Beautiful.

[ninrn]

Halloumi is great on kebabs, too.

[piccola]

A similar idea: You can marinate cubes of paneer in your fave curry sauce, then skewer and grill. Delicious.

[mrsdebdav]

Season Lightlife Smart Ground or other non-meat crumbles with Indian spices. Shape into sausages around wooden skewers. Serve with pita or nan, chutney, yogurt with mint (and/or cilantro and/or cuke). As a side dish, you can make jasmine rice with peas indoors, which cooks quickly and goes well with the sausages.
Quorn makes a tasty naked (chicken -like) cutlet which you can grill with bbq sauce. Corn, coleslaw, sliced tomatoes, grilled sweet potatoes...man, I'm hungry!

[ninrn]

-Tempeh: Fabulous grilled and tossed with veggies or put into a light Thai curry, and a square of it makes a great veggie burger. It always tastes better if you marinate it first in some kind of acid plus garlic/ginger/herbs. Apple cider vinegar works especially well as the acid, but tomato, lemon, lime and wine, or some combination of all of the preceding is good.

- Goat cheese in spears of endive or little packets of romaine, just brushed with olive oil and grilled quickly.

- Seitan: Just slather with barbecue sauce, grill with onions and peppers and slice like steak for sandwiches.

- Greek Halloumi cheese: Grills beautifully. Its texture is such that you can get a nice sear it on the outside without melting it completely.

- Beans: Especially good on a charcoal grill, but great with wood chips on a gas or propane model, too. Just put everything in a cast iron pot.

- Tamales

- Eggs: Just a poke a hole in one end and turn them on the grill every 90 seconds for about 6 minutes and they come out a perfect smokey soft-cooked. Very nice with a salad and some bread for a light summer dinner.

- Stuffed peppers: Stuff with bulgur, quinoa or rice, herbs, cheese and pine nuts for a veggie version. If you grill some tomatoes and split heads of garlic on the side, you can just whir them up in a blender with some basil for a light sauce.

[Isolda]

Greens on the grill are delicious, so is radicchio. Also try halloumi cheese. It doesn't melt, it just gets crispy and tastes like salty heaven.

[sedimental]

Oh, that reminds me...I love endive on the grill. Cut in half- I brush with olive oil and get some grill marks, sprinkle with a bit of S & P, lemon juice and crumble feta, parsley and oil cured olives over the top. It seems to go well with all summer dishes!

[odkaty]

I cook eggplant parmesan (everything but fried) on the grill every summer. Or choose a firmer variety like green brinjal, which I don't batter.

Pizza
Bread
Grilled panzella (grill the squash, asparagus, tomatoes)

[Godslamb]

Have you tried grilling portabella mushrooms as "burgers"? They have a big flavour (with a little bbq sauce if you wish) and go well on a bun. Almost like a burger. I did this for my then, vegetarian daughter and she loved it.

If you can find veggie burgers that don't make you gag (I am sure there must be some out there) you can try that.

And if you like tofu, you can marinate it in some oil and herbs, then thread cubes of it onto bamboo skewers (make sure to soak them first!) with veggies like mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, or any other veggie you like.

Hope this helps.

[piccola]

Portobello mushrooms taste great, but they can be a little watery as burgers, so use a sturdier bun or it'll become soggy really fast.

[Godslamb]

Really? I never had that problem. Maybe it is also because I used provolone on it as well?

[piccola]

Yeah, I can see how that would create a waterproof barrier. :)

I've had good luck using English muffins as buns, they hold up well to the mushroom juice.

[goodhealthgourmet]

if you have access to Whole Foods or a market that offers a good selection of vegetarian meat substitutes, try Field Roast sausages. discussion here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/786427#6564428

other ideas:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/714004
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/424509
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/641539
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/642699
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/277528

[ferret]

Firm tofu; pizza.