By John B, Assistant Grocery Lead
Whether you’re using wood fire, charcoal, or are strictly about that “propane and propane accessories” life, the time of year has finally come to dust off the ol’ grill, grab your best tongs, and invite your friends and family around to crack some cold ones, blast some tunes, and feast most heartily! This means it’s time for another round in what has become something of a series for me here at The Naturalist, my epic BBQ meal plans! These four recipes, packed with amazing natural ingredients you can find here at CN, will satiate a crowd of about six with surprisingly little effort on the part of the grillmaster or grillmistress.
My apologies to vegetarians and those who keep kosher, as half this meal plan is out-of-bounds, I’m afraid. Don’t let it stop you from trying the cauliflower steaks and grilled strawberries. You should also check out my prior ALL-VEGAN BBQ post or just come by our Porter Square location, where I will happily suggest recipes to you in person all day long!
One last thing before we get started: you may not know this about me, but when I’m not dropping knowledge about healthy, natural foods I am both a DJ and musician! As such, I’ve included a great little Spotify playlist of BBQ music for you to enjoy while cooking and eating. What is BBQ music, exactly? Can’t say I know for sure, but it definitely spans genres, continents, and decades in search of something fun, sunny, and a little saucy. Enjoy!
HONEY MUSTARD GRILLED PORK CHOPS
INGREDIENTS:
6 6-ounce pork chops
½ cup Crystal’s Own cranberry honey
3 tablespoons Primal Kitchen dijon mustard
3 tablespoons grain mustard
3 tablespoons Bragg’s apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon South River sweet white miso
1 tablespoon Bragg’s liquid aminos
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Maldon Sea Salt to taste
CN bulk black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Marinate the chops in a mixture of all the remaining ingredients for at least thirty minutes (overnight for maximum flavor) and grill over medium-high heat, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
LEMON PESTO SHRIMP SKEWERS
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb medium or large frozen shrimp, deveined and thawed
3 lemons, thinly sliced
8 Bambu bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes
Cadia extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Maldon sea salt to taste
CN bulk black pepper to taste
½ cup Dan’s Power Plant Fauxmaggio pesto
DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat grill to medium-high, skewer shrimp and lemon slices, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning occasionally, until shrimp is opaque and lemons slightly charred, roughly 4 to 5 minutes. Brush with pesto and serve.
LOADED GRILLED CAULIFLOWER
INGREDIENTS:
2 large heads cauliflower
¼ cup Cadia extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon CN bulk garlic powder
½ tsp. La Chinata smoked paprika
Maldon sea salt to taste
CN bulk black pepper to taste
2 cups Neighborly Farms green onion cheddar, shredded
Primal Kitchen ranch dressing, for drizzling
2 cups Phoney Baloney coconut bacon
2 tsp. finely chopped chives
If You Care aluminum foil
DIRECTIONS:
Remove and discard leaves from cauliflower heads, then trim the stem so cauliflower can lie flat on the cutting board (leave the core intact). Cut each cauliflower in to “steaks” about ¾ inchthick. Reserve any loose florets to cook with the steaks. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Heat the grill to medium. Brush one side of each steak with your olive oil mixture and place the brushed side down on a grill. Brush the top sides with the olive oil mixture and cook until tender and charred in spots, about 8 minutes per side. Top each steak with cheese and cook until melted. Toss extra florets in the olive oil mixture and grill, turning often, until charred and tender, about six minutes. Drizzle steaks with ranch and then sprinkle coconut bacon and chives on top.
GRILLED STRAWBERRY PINEAPPLE SKEWERS
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb strawberries
1 pineapple, skinned and cut into 1-inch chunks
6 tbsp. Organic Valley butter, melted
1 tbsp. Crystal’s Own Blueberry Honey
1 tsp. lemon zest
8 Bambu bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes
Maldon sea salt to taste
Lakewood lemon juice, for drizzling
DIRECTIONS:
Thread strawberries (stem to tip) and pineapple chunks onto your skewers. In a small bowl, whisk melted butter, honey, lemon zest and salt. Brush mixture onto your skewers. Heat grill to medium and grill on each side until slightly charred, brushing continually with butter mixture as you go. Remove from heat, drizzle with lemon juice, and serve!