HEALTHY COOKING TIPS AND HACKS TO TRY THIS VEGANUARY

With 4% of the UK population (nearly 3 million people) thought to now consider themselves to be vegan[1] research undertaken by Weber has found that online searches for ‘vegan healthy meals’ have increased by a staggering 860% over the last 12 months. As a result, this Veganuary, a barbecue expert from Weber is offering a lending hand when it comes to preparing and cooking vegan food to help blast the winter blues away.

While traditional barbecue fare is notoriously meat-centric, Weber’s Head Grill Master, Dan Cooper has plenty of experience testing out vegan recipes on his grills and believes there’s a plant-based alternative for just about anything.

With searches for ‘non-meat alternatives’ up 250% in the last 12 months, Dan has pulled together his top meat substitutes for Veganuary and beyond, as well as sharing some of his top hacks for vegan grilling.

Dan says: “Many people don’t think about barbecuing veg in the winter months, but whether its chargrilled carrots, fire roast beetroot or seared squash, you can be sure all your winter veg will taste better cooked when cooked on a grill.

“What’s more, it’s easy to make your own meat-free substitutes that pack a punch with flavour. When it comes to burgers or patties, the quickest and easiest way is to add oats and split yellow peas to your choice of grated vegetables and spices, mould into shape, and grill.”

“Other easy but healthy meat substitutes for the barbecue include tinned jackfruit, which is perfect when smoked, as well as cauliflower and aubergine. However, taking the top spot is slow-cooked sticky onions – they couldn’t taste more delicious and are a great way to enhance a wintery dish.”

Dan’s top vegan tips, hacks and recipes

Dan has shared some of his top tips and hacks to really experiment with your barbecue this Veganuary.

• Certain vegetables work very well with a little wood smoke, such as beetroot, squash and onions. Try roasting them indirect on the barbecue whilst adding woodchips.
• Try not to add too much oil to your veg before cooking. When oil gets hot it can change in terms of flavour and texture and make veg feel greasy. I tend to use a little high-quality oil on my veg after they’ve been grilled.
• Seasoning is key to making veg delicious. This can be just salt and pepper or a complex spice rub.
• My top tip for cooking veg is not to finely chop it. I usually just halve them, then grill them to the desired colour while making sure the veg is cooked through and tender in the centre. Also grilling veg in its skin will preserve the flavour and nutrients. Charred skin can be discarded, leaving something truly special inside. This method works best with veggies such as onions, beetroot, sweet potatoes, peppers, and aubergines.

Crispy Cauliflower Tacos (makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

• 200ml coconut cream
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 Lime
• ½ medium sized cauliflower
• 6 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 80g panko
• 80g dry desiccated coconut
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 4 corn taco shells

         Method

         In the kitchen:

1. For the batter, whisk together the coconut cream, flour, zest of 1 lime and salt in a mixing bowl then set aside.
2. For the coating, prepare the dry ingredients in another bowl by combining panko, shredded coconut and all the spices.
3. Cut the cauliflower in half and remove the bottom of the stem. Make thin slices from the top to the bottom. Leave a little of the stem on the cauliflower slices.
4. Place four cauliflower halves in a bowl. Cover in flour then submerge in the batter and place them into the coating mix. Cover the pieces evenly.

At the barbecue:

1. Prepare the barbecue for direct heat. If you are using a charcoal grill, you should use ½ a chimney starter with lit briquettes.
2. Preheat the griddle for 10 mins and gently apply sunflower oil with a brush.
3. Sear the cauliflower pieces for 3 minutes on each side.
4. Transfer the golden-brown cauliflower pieces to a plate covered with paper and take back to the kitchen to assemble.

BBQ Jackfruit Slider (makes 8 servings)

Ingredients

• 400g drained jackfruit
• 2 tbsp classic BBQ rub
• 50ml sunflower oil
• 4 tbsp vegan BBQ sauce
• 8 buns

Method

In the kitchen

1. Rinse, drain and thoroughly dry the jackfruit.
2. Add the jackfruit in a mixing bowl, then add the BBQ rub and set aside.
3. Soak a handful of Apple Wood Chips in cold water for 30 mins.

At the barbecue

1. Prepare the barbecue for direct heat. If you are using a charcoal grill, you should use 1/3 chimney starter of lit briquettes.
2. Preheat your griddle for 10 minutes and add the oil and jackfruit and cook for 5 minutes until the jackfruit is lightly golden in colour.
3. Prepare your grill for indirect heat. Grab some of the soaked Apple Wood Chips with the tongs, let the excess water drain off and drop them onto the lit briquettes. If you’re using a Gas barbecue you will need a smoker box. Always wait for smoke to develop before placing food onto the barbecue.
4. Add the vegan BBQ sauce to the jackfruit, stir and close the lid, letting it cook for 10 minutes.
5. Once done, remove from the grill and take back to the kitchen to assemble in the buns.

TIP – As an alternative to jackfruit there now exists a great range of plant-based burgers. The Beyond meat burgers work perfectly for this recipe and are well worth a try.

For further information, visit www.weber.com