10 Vegan Recipes Worthy of a Cookout

For the non-animal product eating, summer cookouts can occasionally feel, how shall we say, limiting: ribs! Burgers! Cheeseburgers! Ice cream! Potato salad swimming in mayonnaise! This — despite an otherwise excellent selection of picnic sides — can be a little discouraging. But! Cookouts need not be so — and vegan folks need not just linger by the spread of side dishes hoping for an ear of corn or a frozen veggie burger, either.

Here are 10 delicious vegan recipes from Food 52's Gena Hamshaw worthy of a summer afternoon barbecue:

Creamy Vegan Avocado Potato Salad

Tempeh Kebabs with Homemade BBQ Sauce

Sweet, tangy homemade barbecue sauce is a perfect complement to the nutty, earthy taste of tempeh. 
 

Grilled Avocado Halves with Cumin-Spiced Quinoa and Black Bean Salad 

Creamy, satisfying avocado meets a hassle-free, versatile quinoa salad that works on its own as an anytime summer side dish.

Black Bean and Corn Burgers

These veggie burgers are a little bit spicy, thanks to a mixture of paprika, cumin, and chili, and a little bit sweet, thanks to fresh summer corn. 

Penne with Sweet Summer Vegetables, Pine Nuts, and Herbs

Think of this recipe as summer in a bowl. The sweet corn, bursting cherry tomatoes, and tender zucchini lighten up a savory, satisfying bowl of pasta. 

Vegan Sweet Potato Biscuits

A sweet or savory spin on biscuits that feature sweet potato for a tender, moist interior and a very pretty golden color.

Vegan Summer Succotash

The combination of sweet vegetables and buttery coconut oil makes this easy dinner an irresistible delight.

 Perfect Vegan Pie Crust

This pie crust is totally authentic and yet totally dairy free -- all thanks to the magic of coconut oil. 

Strawberry Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream

This rich, dreamy ice cream -- which no one would ever guess is vegan -- benefits from fresh ingredients: seasonal, freshly picked strawberries and fresh vanilla bean. 

No-Fuss Vegan Cornbread 

This cornbread is a perfect balance of savory and sweet, rich and light.

[via Food 52]

Have an Eco-Friendly Labor Day Celebration

Backyard barbecuing and Labor Day go together like Fourth of July and fireworks. But neighborhood grill-outs are traditionally not the eco-friendliest of soirees. Disposable (and potentially BPA-filled) flatware, plates and napkins, hot dogs chock-full of nitrites or hamburgers filled with hormones roasting over an open chemical flame: probably not the best way to commune with Mother Nature. Try our five eco chic Labor Day barbecue ideas to reduce your carbon footprint while still hosting a killer party.

1. Grill sustainably and efficiently: What you grill and how you grill it are both important. Vegetables have the lowest carbon footprint - especially when purchased locally, but if you're serving meat, consider chicken rather than hamburgers. Chickens take less water than cattle to raise. Especially if you use propane rather than charcoal, grill as much food at once as possible to maximize your fuel efficiency. Make a point of grilling locally raised, organic, grass-fed, hormone-free cuts of meat from reputable purveyors such as Applegate Farms, Niman Ranch, Organic Prairie, Laura's Lean Beef, etc.

If you've not yet bought a grill, select one wisely. Charcoal and wood grills release chemicals and soot particles in the air. Propane and electric grills burn cleaner and the long-term fuel price is lower. The upfront cost for electric and propane grills is higher, however.
If you already have a wood grill, use sustainably-grown hickory or mesquite wood. If your existing grill is charcoal-burning, use lump coal rather than briquettes and avoid starter fluids.

2. Use reusable dinnerware: This may seem like a no-brainer, but using reusable dinnerware and napkins is a great way to make your party more eco-friendly. Pick out some fun eco chic dinnerware at a local thrift shop to set the mood for your party. You may be able to talk your friends into a dishwashing after-party with a nice bottle of organic or biodynamic wine. And, bonus, if any of your guests break a few pieces, you don't lose any of your regular dinner sets. Use small bar towels as reusable napkins to avoid paper. If you absolutely must have disposable dinnerware, make use of biodegradable tableware products, like this set from Branch Home.

3. Evites rather than invites: If you're sending out invitations, go digital rather than sending paper invites. You'll save on paper waste, postage and time. If you need tangible invitations, consider handcrafting your invitations with recycled materials at relatively low costs. Or offset your paper usage by planting a tree in honor of your guests.

4. Natural and frugal decorations: Decorate your party area with living plants and thrift store finds. And, beyond the decorations, remember to make recycling easy for your guests. Decorate or purchase some party-themed bins for recycling and composting. Prominently place the bins near the party so your guests know not to trash their bottles, cans and food waste.

5. Use natural bug repellents: If you need to use bug repellent during your barbecue party, go with citronella plants, oil or candles rather than chemical sprays. For yourself, say "no" to DEET and opt for a natural mosquito repellent. You can even make up cute spray bottle party favors filled with fantastic-smelling essential oil bug repellent for your guests.

[via Organic Authority]

10 Ways to Cancer-Proof Your Barbecue

Summer is here. With it come vacations, lush gardens, and barbecues with friends and family. Unfortunately, barbecued food has been linked to an increased risk of cancer.  But you can have your barbecue and your health too with if you follow these suggestions.

1.  Keep a watchful eye to avoid barbecue flare-ups and the resulting charring of your food.  Charred food is linked with the creation of carcinogens.

2.  Cook over lower temperatures. Use low to medium cooking temperatures. When foods like meat are heated over high temperatures or come in contact with flames, compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can form. Both compounds are known carcinogens. Of course you don’t need to pronounce them or spell them to reduce your risk of exposure to these carcinogens. Of course if you’re cooking meat or poultry always be sure that the inside temperature reaches a high enough temperature to kill microbes.

3.  If you’re cooking meat or poultry, marinate it in olive oil and lemon juice-based marinades. Research shows that these two items reduce the formation of cancer-causing compounds by up to 99% while cooking, while adding flavor and helping to keep it moist.

4.  Choose naturally low fat foods like vegetables, lean cuts of meat, poultry or fish.  Heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are primarily formed when fats are heated to high temperatures or fall into the flames and create smoke. Low fat foods reduce the chance of these compounds forming at all.

5.  Trim excess fat from meat prior to cooking it (for the same reason as number 4).

6.  Add fresh or dried herbs to cut your cancer risk. These herbs include:  basil, mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage. Food Safety Consortium scientists at Kansas State University discovered that using basil, mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, or sage in marinades drastically reduces the formation of HCAs.  Simply use one or more of these herbs, preferably fresh, in a marinade prior to and during cooking.  They reduce cancer risk and add tremendous flavor.

7.  Avoid overcooking vegetables.  The longer they cook the more certain vitamins like vitamin C and B-complex vitamins break down.  New research in Molecular Biology Reports shows that Vitamin C reduces the cancer-causing effects of HCAs.

8.  Add more vegetables to the grill. One of the easiest ways to cancer-proof your barbecue is to add more veggies.  Making kebabs is a great way to do this.  If you’re cooking meat on kebabs, the veggies will keep it moist and add fiber, flavor, and nutrients.

9.  Include cruciferous vegetables in every barbecue. New research in Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention shows that cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates that form cancer-protective compounds known as isothiocyanates. Isothiocyanates have been shown to protect against HCAs and PAHs, making them especially great to cancer-proof your barbecue. Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.

10.  Clean your grill prior to every use. Not only is it more appetizing to eat food that’s been cooked on a clean grill, but you’ll reduce the amount of char that you’ll be eating.  The charred parts of food can cause free radical formation in your body and since free radicals are linked with premature aging, disease, and tissue damage, it’s best to reduce your exposure as much as possible.

[via: Care 2]