For the average person, grills and vegetables are not the perfect pairing. Classically, steaks, chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, and ribs are the only items meant for a grill. This is a backwards way of thinking because the grill is one of the best culinary tools for cooking vegetables. Using a grill to cook vegetables is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to prepare them. 

Some people have the desire to eat more vegetables, but they don’t find creative ways to cook them. It’s easy to lose interest in the same salad that accompanies your meals, but vegetables don’t always have to be a side dish. You can bring vegetables to the center stage, especially if you grill specific varieties in unique ways. For example, marinate a portobello mushroom cap, grill it, and eat it as your main course. Slice a cauliflower head into thick steaks for a vegan steak alternative. The possibilities are endless!

How To Prepare Vegetables For The Grill

In order to grill vegetables to perfection, it all comes down to the way you prepare them. An ultra-thin vegetable will burn to a crisp within a minute or two. You won’t even taste the vegetable at that point. It’s ideal to give your vegetables sufficient surface area, meaning that they need to be big enough for you to see grill marks. Cutting them too small increases the risk of them falling through the grates. There is a list of common vegetables to grill below and how you should prepare them. 

• Zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant: Cut lengthwise into thick, rectangular strips.
• Tomatoes: Cut thicker tomatoes in half to help them stay together on the grill.
• Bell peppers: Seed and quarter bell peppers to get plenty of char marks. 
• Onions: Peel the outer layers, remove the ends, and quarter the onion. Keep flipping quarters on the grill. 
• Cremini mushrooms: Remove the stems and cut them in half. You can grill large portobello mushrooms like a hamburger patty.
• Asparagus: Remove the woody ends and grill in a grill basket. 
• Corn: It’s best to place un-shucked ears of corn on the grill because the husks help to steam the kernels. After about 5-10 minutes of grilling, remove the husks and then grill for a couple minutes per side to get char marks. 

Start With A Clean Grill

Before you even lay your veggies on the grill, it’s important to remove all debris and built-up food particles. Turn your grill on to about medium heat and allow the fire to run for about two minutes. This will aid with easy removal of debris. Old food particles will impart a gross flavor into your vegetables because their flavors are easily overpowered. You can use a wire brush to clean the grates. Cut an onion in half and rub the onion cut-side down along the grates to help clean them. 

Season And Marinate

Vegetables deserve seasoning and marination! Those steps are not solely reserved for choice cuts of meat. Mushrooms do great in marinades because they easily soak up the flavors. For most vegetables, though, a combination of sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and olive oil is just perfect. You can use Italian seasoning, parsley, thyme, curry powder, paprika, cayenne, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or whatever entices your taste buds. Olive oil on your veggies helps prevent sticking to the grill, just FYI. 

How Long Do You Grill Vegetables?

The cooking time will change depending on the size and shape of your vegetables. Most grills also have hot spots, so the placement of the vegetable will also dictate the cooking time. Ideally, it’s best to cook vegetables over medium heat, placing heartier vegetables in the hotter spots. Onions tend to take the longest, followed by bell peppers. Zucchini and eggplant slices and mushrooms cook fairly quickly, but not as quick as asparagus. You may have to experiment with your placement and come up with cooking times based on your grill. Typically, though, you can follow the cooking times below. 

• Zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, and eggplant: Seven to eight minutes (three to four minutes per side)
• Bell peppers and onions: Eight to ten minutes (four to five minutes per side)
• Asparagus, tomatoes, and green onions: Four to six minutes (two to three minutes per side)

Use Metal Skewers

Metal skewers are not always necessary, but they do come in handy for certain vegetables. Cherry tomatoes, cauliflower or broccoli florets, mushrooms, and Brussels sprouts will likely fall through the grates. Skewering these types of vegetables prevents them from rolling around. Don’t use wooden skewers because those can burn and break easily. Plus, they don’t support a lot of weight. Opt for metal flat skewers because the vegetables won’t spin around on them. 

SHARE:

The post The Ultimate Guide To Grilling Vegetables appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Looking for a vegan meat substitute that isn’t manufactured in a lab? Forget the fake meat and starting cooking with portobello mushrooms! You can grill the entire caps and sandwich them between two slices of bread to make hearty sandwiches or burgers. Trying to steer clear of bread? Slice up portobello caps and sauté them with other veggies in a stir-fry, or make these vegan fajitas.

Like other mushrooms, portobellos exhibit an earthy flavor. You can counteract a bit of that earthiness by scraping out the undersides of the caps. Rinse them out and lightly scrape them with your fingers (it can be a good idea to wear disposable gloves for this) prior to slicing up the caps. If you really want that mushroom flavor to vanish, you have to season them properly and thoroughly. In the case of this recipe, you create your own taco seasoning by using a series of spices. The reason to avoid store bought taco seasoning is because it contains excess sodium, added flavors, and preservatives.

This fajita dish is very simple to make because all you have to do is thinly slice the bell peppers, red onion, and portobellos, season them, and bake them for 25 minutes. Make sure that you remove the pan halfway through the cooking process so that you can mix them up for even cooking. While the veggies are cooking, you can prepare the pico de gallo, which is very easy to make. Once the veggies are out of the oven, toast your corn tortillas and assemble your fajitas. Please enjoy!

SHARE:

The post Portobello Mushroom Fajitas appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Are you ready for the meatiest vegan entree you’ll ever enjoy? We are talking about a truly vegan creation, not some lab-created meat that is intended to mimic real beef or chicken. This thick center cut of cauliflower is prime for the eatin’! Season it just like a you would a nice filet mignon and cook it over medium heat, either in a pan or on the grill. What you end up with is a tender cauliflower steak that is perfectly crispy on the outside. And the chimichurri is the absolute star of the show!

This chimichurri stands out from the rest because, well, it is simply the best. First off, instead of using red pepper flakes, you char two jalapeños and then place them in a bowl. Cover that bowl with plastic wrap and allow them to steam for 10 minutes. Don some disposable gloves and carefully remove the skin before finely dicing them. You will then proceed to mix them with the other ingredients you chop up. The amount of olive oil you use will depend on your taste preference, but you want the sauce to be more oily than dry.

For the cauliflower steak, you have to cut the head of cauliflower in a specific way. Trying to use the ends of the head of cauliflower will not work because the florets will fall off immediately after cutting. Depending on the size of the cauliflower head, you may get two or three steaks out of the head. Make sure they are about one-half to three-quarter-inch thick. If the steaks are thicker than that, you will likely have to cook them in the oven. These steaks are perfect in the pan or on the grill. If you do them in the pan, you’ll need to throw a little water in the pan to make the steaks tender.

SHARE:

The post Cauliflower Steaks With Chimichurri appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Craving banana bread but don’t feel like baking or consuming more than a cup of sugar? These sweet little energy bites are exactly what you need. You can make them with only six ingredients in just 10 minutes. Not only are they vegan and gluten-free, but they are also great snacks for kids and adults alike. Keep them in the fridge and enjoy when ready, or make a big batch and store them in the freezer, taking them out whenever you want a snack.

Although this recipe calls for walnuts or pecans, almonds work too. Feel free to mix and match the nuts you enjoy for this recipe, so long as they total one cup. For the oats, we chose rolled oats, but you can use gluten-free oats if you don’t eat gluten. And to keep it vegan, the chocolate chips have to be dairy-free. If you cannot find dairy-free chocolate chips, you can use chopped dark chocolate, but the chocolate chips are recommended.

When it comes time to make the banana bread bites, start by adding the nuts to the food processor. Pulse until you achieve a crumbly consistency. Then you can add rolled oats, dates, banana, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and blend until grainy and broken down. At that point, add the chocolate chips and pulse until you get a sticky, dough-like consistency, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Form the mixture into little bite-size balls with your hands and refrigerate them to harden. You can place them in the freezer to accelerate that process, which helps you enjoy them quicker!

SHARE:

The post No-Bake Banana Bread Bites appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Crispy potato taquitos are undeniably delicious and they are surprisingly easy to make. Anybody can boil potatoes, mash them, and put them inside a tortilla, though. This recipe goes several steps beyond your average potato taquito by layering different flavors. You will taste everything from the liberally seasoned potatoes to the briny pickled onions and zesty salsa. You don’t have to make all of the toppings for the taquitos, but if you want to wake up the dish and have a flavorful party, you should make them.

Most people think of tacos or taquitos and immediately want to put meat, poultry or fish in them. Those are the “standard” proteins that come to mind, but a potato filling is not only budget-friendly and easy, but also surprisingly delicious. In order to enhance the recipe, it is integral that you season your potatoes once you mash them. Speaking of mashing potatoes, your potato choice is completely up to you, but we recommend standard Russet potatoes. They easily absorb the flavor of the different spices, but so do red skin potatoes. Sweet potatoes or yams are also acceptable, but they’ll exhibit a sweeter flavor profile in your taquitos. That may be a nice balance to the subtle kick from the tomatillo salsa.

When it comes time to assemble and fry your taquitos, there are a few important rules to follow. The first rule is that you need to warm up the tortillas for about 20-30 seconds to prevent them from ripping when you roll up the mashed potatoes. The second rule is that need to sew each taquito shut with a toothpick. That will prevent the taquito from opening in the pan and spilling out into the oil. After you finish frying the taquitos you can top them with the pickled onions, salsa, and chipotle crema. We recommend that you make those toppings prior to making the taquitos, so that they are ready once you’re taquitos finish frying

SHARE:

The post Crispy Potato Taquitos appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Have you ever purchased pre-made tomato soup from the grocery store? Many well-known brands offer their signature soups that often come in plastic containers. Next time you go to the store, check the nutrition label and notice how much sodium is in the entire container. Always pay attention to the serving size because there are often four or more servings in one of those containers, and you may eat at least two servings at a time.

This vegan tomato soup is not only made from whole food ingredients, but it also is very low in sodium. In fact, the potassium content in tomatoes works to regulate blood pressure by eliminating excess sodium in the body. Additionally, the lycopene in tomatoes that gives them their signature red hue may lower cholesterol levels and inflammation. The fiber in tomatoes, while helping to improve digestion, plays a role in lowering cholesterol, which helps reduce the risk of heart disease. Finally, the vitamin C in tomatoes works together with lycopene to help regulate blood pressure.

Although this is a tomato soup, there is more to the soup than the tomatoes. The aromatic basil is truly the best complement to the acidic tomato. There is some oregano in this soup, but adding too much makes it taste like marinara sauce. You want to achieve the perfect balance with your soup and this recipe may be the exact equation you need for deliciousness!

SHARE:

The post Vegan Tomato Basil Soup appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

There are so many delicious recipes that utilize the mighty potato. Smashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, grilled potato wedges, mashed potatoes, and potato salad are just some of the many culinary creations. When it comes to potato salad, there are many recipes that don’t quite hit the mark. Rather than creating an unhealthy side dish that contains eggs and fattening mayonnaise, make this herbaceous potato salad with a lemon dijon vinaigrette.

We love this recipe because it’s the perfect side dish when the weather is warm. You can bet that it will be a hit on any table that shares it! This potato salad only contains a handful of ingredients and it comes together in a quick 20 minutes. While most of the flavor comes from the herbs and dressing, the potatoes also bring some mild flavor to the dish. For this recipe, we used baby red potatoes, but you can use other potatoes if you prefer them. Leave the skin on to add both texture and color to the dish. The red potato skins offer a beautiful contrast to green parsley, fresh thyme, and scallion.

The dressing for this potato salad may be the true star of the dish. It offers a bright, citrusy flare that pairs beautifully with the herbs, and it also has a subtle bite from the dijon mustard. That signature mustard flavor comes through and helps to tame the raw garlic. The last thing to keep in mind about the potato salad is that you don’t want to overcook the potatoes. Ideally, the potatoes should be al dente, meaning you can poke them with a fork, but they shouldn’t fall apart when poked. If you overcook the potatoes, the peels will fall apart when you toss them with the herbs and dressing. Make this recipe ahead of time and refrigerate it for a few hours so that the flavors can intensify!

SHARE:

The post Vegan Potato Salad With A Mustard Dressing appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

A zucchini noodle dish can be a great dinner entree during your cleansing experience. It’s a variation from salads and smoothies, providing your taste buds with new flavors and textures. Zoodles are not confined to the raw vegan diet, though. You can incorporate them into life after cleansing, sautéing them in a pan with other ingredients. That’s where this recipe enters the equation.

A classic pasta recipe is pasta aglio olio, which uses four ingredients: noodles, garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. You can include parsley, basil, and other herbs if you so desire. The idea is that this dish highlights the inherent flavor of olive oil, which brings out the garlic and pepper flakes. Naturally, there is a spicy element to the dish, but you can tame it by adding fewer pepper flakes. You can also add some nutritional yeast to this dish, which may calm the spice and add a cheesy flavor.

One thing to keep in mind about cooking zucchini noodles is that they can soften if you cook them too long. You want to warm them, not overcook them. The goal should be to have zucchini noodles retain some of their crunchy texture for optimal mouthfeel. Sautéing the zucchini enhances their ability to absorb the flavors from the olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. Once you finish cooking them, plate your zoodles and top with optional chopped parsley, basil, and halved cherry tomatoes. We hope you enjoy it!

SHARE:

The post Post-Cleanse Olive Oil Garlic Zoodles appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Are you ready to elevate your sweet potato game? You don’t have to say goodbye to baked sweet potatoes or sweet potato fries; rather, it’s time to open a new door to what you can do with these root vegetables. The sweet potato is merely a vessel waiting for you to transform it. Many people add sweet potatoes to different dishes, but this recipe calls for adding ingredients to the potatoes.

For those who are new to the baked sweet potato game, there are a few things to know. First, you must wash the potato to scrub away any dirt or grime. Secondly, poke it with a fork to prevent it from bursting in the oven. Lastly, bake the potato. How you dress it up once it finishes baking is the exciting part. This recipe, for example, is a classic take on a roll with taco bowl, only the sweet potato is both the bowl and the filling. The toppings are peppers and onions, which add a sweet, caramelized flavor.

Once the potatoes finish baking, remove them from the oven and allow to cool until they’re easy enough to handle. We don’t want anyone playing a literal game of hot potato. After you slice the potatoes open lengthwise, you’ll stuff them with the peppers and onions. Garnish with avocado and chopped cilantro. You can thank us later, or do it in the comments.

SHARE:

The post Sweet Potatoes Stuffed With Peppers & Onions appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

One of the best things you can do for your body when you finish cleansing is to give it light and easy meals to digest. The transitional period, as many people refer to it, is an integral stepping stone to life after cleansing. The foods you consume during this period often dictate what you continue to eat as the weeks go on. If you go directly for the unhealthy, processed, fried, and meat-centric foods, your body will continue to crave those things as life moves on. An integral part of the transitional period is to introduce healthier foods to the body that supply it with essential nutrients.

The combination of kale, chickpeas, and the hemp seed dressing (which is actually cleanse-approved!) provides the body with protein, vitamin K, fiber, and folate. It’s the perfect light meal to fill you up! The great thing about chickpeas is that they are essentially a blank canvas. You have the ability to make them taste savory or sweet! Some people season them with taco seasonings, while others use cacao powder and agave and blend them into a chocolate hummus. We aren’t condoning the latter recipe, but we’re just saying it’s possible!

The creamy hemp seed dressing almost plays the role of ranch dressing, complementing the tangy and spicy Buffalo flavor. The acidity of the Buffalo sauce, which comes from high vinegar content, marries with the creamy herbaceous dressing. In fact, the dill in the dressing will make you think you’re eating ranch! We hope you love this post-cleanse recipe. Please let us know in the comments if you’ll continue eating it.

SHARE:

The post Buffalo Chickpea Kale Salad appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.