I love the flavor of mushrooms and peppers. But I don’t care for raw mushrooms, and I don’t really want to fire up the BBQ. So I’ve been experimenting with grilled mushrooms, onions and peppers. The results are very tasty!

First, I cut up some mushrooms (I used white button and crimini), a sweet onion, and some red peppers into bite-sized pieces. Then I marinated them in a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crushed garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasonings.

Toss well then let sit while you heat up your grill. Grill until the vegetables are tender.

For the kebabs pictured above I also added grilled tofu (following instructions here: grilled tofu). Very tasty! Enjoy!

I had a head of cauliflower in the fridge and was not sure what to do with it. I thought about a side dish for dinner, but then decided I wanted something lighter for lunch. Then I remembered seeing grilled cauliflower somewhere on the web and decided that was my best bet.

I found a recipe for grilled cauliflower on the website Damn Delicious . It was a good starting point, but I did not add in any of the optional ingredients (garlic and cilantro) because we were having it with chicken kebabs, and those two flavors do not go well together in my opinion.

Tossing the cauliflower and mushrooms in the marinade before grilling gave it some good flavor. After grilling, I tossed them in some balsamic vinegar, which also gave it some good taste.

I served this dish with homemade garlic naan (recipe coming soon). This was such an easy dish to make and so full of flavor that we will definitely be making it again!

Mushrooms are usually grilled by themselves. They’re too much work for a vegetable kebab. But I had an extra pepper and onion, so I decided to try it. The peppers keep the mushrooms from falling through the grill grates, so you can grill them as you would any meat. It’s not totally necessary, but it’s nice to have grilled peppers and mushrooms together on a skewer.

2 large beefsteak or portobello mushrooms

2 green bell peppers

1 red onion

olive oil

salt and fresh ground pepper

Cut the mushrooms into 1-inch thick slices. Cut the pepper into 1-inch squares, and cut the onion into wedges about 3 inches long and 1 inch thick at their widest point. Alternate the vegetables on skewers.* Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper before grilling over medium heat for 10 minutes per side.* Serve hot or at room temperature.**

*I used bamboo skewers; if using metal ones make sure they’re well oiled so they don’t rust when exposed to the acidic marinade. Bamboo skewers will also char in places if left too long over high heat, which is what makes them great for grilling!**You

**Kebabs are an excellent way to cook a variety of vegetables and/or meat. And they make for a flavorful and attractive dish, when you want to serve something with a little more “wow” factor than grilled chicken or steak.

Here I’ve paired the mushrooms, onion, and peppers with flavored olive oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper, and lemon zest. The result is a smoky treat that tastes even better the next day.**

Mushrooms, onions and peppers from my garden on skewers with a homemade kebab sauce. These kebab are so delicious and easy to make. They can be grilled or cooked in the oven. I prefer a grill to cook them but it’s raining here and I didn’t feel like huddling under an umbrella.

This recipe comes from Cooking Light magazine and is made with balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and salt, pepper, olive oil and fresh herbs. The sauce is really simple to prepare but yields great flavor. This is one of those recipes where you just chop up whatever you have in your garden. It’s also a nice way to use some of those very large mushrooms which don’t seem to fit into any recipe (and they are still very expensive). The tomato is not from the garden but from my local co-op grocery store. We have been eating a lot of tomatoes this summer!

I used Nantes carrots (long white carrots) for this recipe because I love their texture and flavor.

When I was a kid I didn’t like mushrooms. I don’t know why. But now I love them and use them all the time. Some of my favorite meals are grilled portobellos with fresh mozzarella, roasted garlic and fresh basil, or a simple grilled mushroom patty with melted cheese on top.

This is a really easy way to make a tasty meal. The flavor of the marinade is bold and bright, so it’s important to use good quality olive oil. The grill gives the vegetables an extra smoky, caramelized taste that makes them delicious. You can add any other vegetables you like- red peppers, squash, carrots- or just serve these as an appetizer or a side dish. This recipe is very simple but tastes delicious!

Ingredients:

2 large Portobello mushrooms, stems removed

1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced into 1/4″ thick rounds

1 large red bell pepper, seeds removed and cut into 1″ pieces

4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (makes about 1/2 cup)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sea salt

juice from 1 lemon (about 3 Tbsp)

Preparation:

Spices:

1.5 tsp freshly ground coriander seeds

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, chopped fine

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl combine the cumin, coriander, black pepper and salt. Set aside. In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat add 1 Tbs of olive oil and the spices and toast for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool. Once cooled mix in the minced garlic and shallots. Refrigerate until ready to use (you can do this ahead of time). Or you can just mix it all together right before using it when you make your skewers.*