Monday, October 01, 2007

the BBQ dinner post




Happy October, everybody! Thank you for your kind comments about the sourdough post. I went away to Virginia for my mom's birthday this weekend, and was so happy to come back and find that it had gotten such a good response. I am having a lot of fun with it.

Well, the voodoo stew seems to have worked better than I could ever imagine! Clear, sunny weather and record-breaking warm temperatures have been hanging around, and I figure, as long as I keep getting warm days, I'll keep posting warm-weather foods!



On September 21, Daiku and I took advantage of the newly warm weather to pull out our trusty little hibachi grill to make some barbeque. This little cast-iron guy is very near and dear to our heart. We bought him very cheaply a few years ago when I was still living in California, and the heavy, sharp, rusty thing has managed to follow us to New York. (Let's just say multiple trips were involved).



The main course was some mock duck (canned seitan from the Asian market) marinated with a peppery barbeque sauce. Here is the duck getting basted with reserve marinade.



The salad was inspired by this beautiful ripe red pepper from the garden.



I used it, along with some fresh tomatoes and raw corn from the farmers market, some scallions, olive oil, and sherry vinegar to make a salsa. I've only recently discovered my love for fresh raw corn, and am snapping it up every chance I get. I figure it'll only show up at the market a couple more times, tops. This particular corn was white and especially sweet and tender. I may never cook corn again- seriously.



I then poured the salsa over a huge bed of spinach, also from the market.



Along with some garlic toast, plain corn on the cob, and some barbecued broccoli and green onions, (and some amazing grilled peaches that I forgot to photograph), this was a satisfying dinner for the last day of summer. The last day according to the calendar, anyway...

To be continued!


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16 comments:

Vegan_Noodle said...

Oh I am totally with you on the raw corn thing. Unfortunately I have a fear of buying corn...it's one of those veggies I've never felt comfortable "judging" at the store, so it's John's job to pick it out. Maybe I should get over that... :-)

What a great way to say goodbye to summer, if only according to the calendar. Hope you have many more warm days ahead of you!

JENNA said...

I usually stay away from canned mock meats, but, that photo of the mock duck being basted might change my mind about canned mock meats.

urban vegan said...

Pretty, colorful, artfully composed photos. Makes me wish we had an outdoor area on which we could grill.


Only 4 hours, eh? I feel a meet-up coming on, one way or another!

Ruthie said...

yummm! I love the barbecue + garlic toast idea. YUM!

Please, God, give me one more day of Summer. Please leave the snow on the mountains where it belongs. :)

scottishvegan said...

It's strangely summer like and warm(ish) here too...if only I had a cute little BBQ like yours to have some fun with! And I too love fresh corn, it's so yummy!

Don't Get Mad, Get Vegan! said...

those peppers look so beautiful. what a great spread!

Theresa said...

That grill is the coolest. And it looks like you're putting it to good use! Everything looks wonderful.

Teresa said...

Yay for keeping summer alive! I'm right there with you and am so not ready to let it go!

Oh those peppers are fantabulous looking. I've never had raw corn- interesting concept. I guess I better give it a try! Thanks for the idea.

theONLYtania said...

Wow, that looks like an amazing dinner. I've never had canned seitan. Are there any advantages to raw corn off the cob?

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

canned seitan - interesting... looks good on the grill though! wow, those peppers are beautiful, and look lovely in the salad as well; mmm, that garlic toast looks divine! this certainly IS a great meal to end the summer with :0)

aTxVegn said...

Don't you love summer in October? See why I live in Texas? Your peppers and tomatoes are just beautiful, and raw sweet corn is the best! Have fun at the grill!

Crystal said...

"choosy moms definitely do NOT choose Jif!"...that got a good laugh over here at our house :)

-Crystal

Anonymous said...

I have two cans of mock meat in my pantry, but I'm too scared to open them. What if they're slimy, smelly and disgusting? Whaaaaat if? I mean.. sure, YOUR food looks good, but maybe you have some kind of weird super power that turns canned seitan into delicious food. I don't know. One of these days I will have to try using my canned seitan...


And I love your bbq. Love it! We have about 8 months left until there's going to be bbq weather again.... :´(

vko said...

Oh, had I known that you were making such a tasty meal- I would have made Fcat make that drive up 5hrs to knock on your door & invite myself over for some of that yumminess.

dreamy said...

If only you were at my disastrous BBQ I had with my friends...

Anonymous said...

i will love to eat this meal!! i cant believe that exist canned seitan ! wow looks very good.