Anyway, with many of my friends being vegetarian (and myself being a flexitarian, which I like to think is a double-entendre), I went with an all veggie BBQ. Okay, most of it wasn't grilled, just the sandwiches and some corn con cal en polvo y chile. (I totally just google translated that. I don't speak enough Spanish to know if that's a good translation, but it means lime juice and chili powder.)
So, getting down to what I made, since some people were asking for the recipes:
Grilled Summer Veggie Sandwich (A Jeremiah Favorite):
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
Focaccia or Ciabatta bread (I prefer Ciabatta)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Olive oil for brushing on the veggies, about 1/8 cup
For the mayonnaise, which is kinda the pièce de résistance in this recipe:
1/4 cup mayonnaise (homemade if you're feelin' fancy)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1. Preheat the grill. If you're using charcoal in a high elevation like me, you're going to need some time.
2. In a small bowl, mix the mayo, minced garlic, and lemon juice. Put it in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
3. Brush the vegetables with oil. I don't recommend putting them directly on the grill, as they'll likely fall through and there goes your dinner. Put them on something made to hold smaller foods. The onions and bell peppers will cook faster, so put them over less direct heat. On a hot grill, they'll be ready to flip in about 5 minutes. Then, you know, flip them.
4. Spread that mayo on each side of whatever bread you choose, and then throw some crumbled feta on top. Throw them on the grill and cover it. The idea is to lightly toast the bread, while trying to melt the cheese. This is easier said than done. Either way it's going to be delicious.
5. Make a sandwich out of all that shit. Does this step even need to be here?
Sun-dried tomato dip
This one is from the Veganomicon, a book I highly recommend even if you're not vegan. Seriously, just buy it.
2 cups sun-dried tomatoes (dry ones, not the kind packed in oil)
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds
1/2 cup cooked white beans, drained (navy beans are good)
2 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Several pinches of freshly ground pepper
Place the tomatoes in a bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water over them. Cover with a plate and let soak for about 15 minutes.
In a blender or food processor, grind the almonds to a powder. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the tomatoes from the water (don't discard the water) and add them to the almonds. Add the remaining ingredients and puree, adding up to 1/4 cup of the tomato water and scraping down the sides often until smooth.
Cover and chill for at least an hour.
But here's the thing: they suggest putting it on a pita with a cucumber slice and sprouts. DO THIS. It makes it magical. Crackers work too.
And then I made a Jicama-watercress-avocado salad with spicy citrus vinaigrette, also from Veganomicon. I'm not going to share that recipe, you'll just have to buy the book.
Oh, and then there were the icy treats. Apparently I don't eat ice cream as often as I make it, so I had a watermelon sorbet, a gin & tonic sorbet, an olive oil ice cream, and a honey lavender ice cream in my freezer. I can't be sure, but I think most people preferred the olive oil ice cream over the honey lavender. I don't know, I was drunk on watermelon margaritas by this point.
