Outside interests
The time is right for grilling and picnics in the great outdoors
Cookout season is here.
To celebrate we put together a cookout and potluck-friendly menu for omnivores, carnivores, vegans and flexitarians.
Our menu: Burgers (traditional meat and plant-based)
Lemony Pasta and Green Bean Salad
Easy Mixed Berry Trifle
Just add your beverages of choice, a tossed green salad and potato chips.
■ Whether grilling or pan-frying, it’s important to follow safety guidelines. Ground beef, pork or lamb — if your grind it yourself or buy it already ground — should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Poultry, including turkey, should be cooked to 165 degrees. An instant-read thermometer, inserted horizontally, provides the most accurate reading. Contrary to conventional wisdom, color is not an indicator of doneness. Meat and poultry can lose their pink color before they reach safe temperatures and the reverse is also true; they sometimes retain a pinkish color even when cooked beyond 160 degrees.
■ Many vegetarian burgers such as the Beyond Meat burger are formulated to remain pink even when fully cooked. These burgers should also be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
And as always, leftovers should be refrigerated within 2 hours or discarded after 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour outdoors when temperatures are above 90 degrees.
All-Purpose Burger Seasoning
2 teaspoons paprika
1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon brown sugar
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
Pinch ground red pepper (cayenne)
Combine all ingredients in a small glass jar, preferably with a shaker top, and mix well. Sprinkle on hamburger patties before cooking.
Makes about 2 tablespoons.
Quick Pickled Red Onions
1 cup red wine vinegar
5 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon fine salt
1 red onion, halved and sliced from root to tip
In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, add onion, cover and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Store, refrigerated in an
airtight container for up to 1 week.
Makes about 1 cup.
Recipe adapted from The Ultimate Burger from America’s Test Kitchen
Chipotle Mayo
1 cup regular mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise such as Just Mayo
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Place mayonnaise, chipotles and lime juice in jar of a blender. Puree until smooth and chipotles are completely chopped. Pour into an airtight container, cover, and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Makes about 1 cup.
These traditional meat burgers can be prepared on the stove or using a skillet on the grill.
Griddled Smashed Burgers
1 pound 85% lean ground beef or turkey (beef recommended)
¾ teaspoon All-Purpose
Burger Seasoning
1 teaspoon vegetable oil 4 ounces sliced American
cheese, divided use 4 hamburger buns, toasted if desired
Desired condiments and toppings such as leaf lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced or pickled onion, dill pickles, ketchup, mustard, plain or Chipotle Mayonnaise
To create a weight, wrap the bottom of a Dutch oven, bacon press, brick or heavy skillet with aluminum foil.
Divide meat into 4 lightly packed balls, then gently shape each portion into a ¾-inch thick patty.
Season patties with All-Purpose Burger Seasoning.
Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet until very hot, but not smoking. Transfer 2 patties to the hot skillet. Using the foil wrapped weight, press the patties until they are about 4 inches in diameter. Cook patties, keeping weight in place, without moving, until well browned on first side, about 1 minute to 1 ½ minutes. Remove weight and flip patties. Top each with a slice of cheese, if desired, cover and cook until browned on second side, about 1 minute. Transfer burgers to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from the skillet. Repeat with remaining meat and cheese.
Serve patties on toasted buns with desired toppings and condiments.
Makes 4 burgers.
Recipe adapted from The Ultimate Burger from America’s Test Kitchen
Nutrition information: Each beef burger including bun and cheese, but no condiments contains approximately 411 calories, 29 g protein, 19 g fat, 28 g carbohydrate, 88 mg cholesterol, 881 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Look for Beyond Meat’s The Beyond Burger in the meat case between the ground turkey and the ground beef. The shaped patties resemble their neighbors in color and shape, but they’re made entirely from plants. The ingredients on the package are a mix of the familiar (pea protein, canola oil, coconut oil, yeast) and the mysterious (cellulose from bamboo, succinic acid). The fleshy color is from beet root extract and annatto. And although liquid smoke is not listed in the ingredients, the cooked burgers have the distinctive, yet notat-all-unpleasant flavor of artificial smoke, whether cooked inside or grilled.
We were impressed with the flavor and texture of these burgers, but we’ll be honest: They’re not going to fool beef lovers. Nor will they win over burger purists. But if you’re looking for a grain-free, soy-free vegetarian patty that isn’t made from black beans, this may be your new favorite make-at-home veggie burger.
Beyond Meat Burgers
1 (8-ounce) package Beyond Meat plant-based burger patties (2 patties)
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste 2 toasted hamburger buns Desired condiments and toppings such as leaf lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced red onion, dill pickles, ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise
Prepare grill for medium high heat or heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
Season patties on both sides lightly with salt, pepper and garlic.
Cook burgers for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Avoid overcooking.
Serve on buns with desired condiments.
Makes 2 servings. Nutrition information: Each burger and bun without condiments contains approximately 410 calories,
25 g protein, 22 g fat, 32 g carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 540 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
This pasta salad skips the meat, mayonnaise and cheese, but isn’t lacking in flavor. That being said, some shaved parmesan, a little crumbled feta, or some chunks of tuna would make excellent additions for dairy and fish eaters.
Lemony Pasta and Green Bean Salad
Salt
8 ounces tube or spiral pasta such as rotini, penne or cellentani
12 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into ¾-inch pieces
Zest and juice of 1 lemon, divided use
1 loosely packed tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves and tender sprigs 6 tablespoons salted and roasted shelled pistachios, divided use
½ cup diced red bell pepper 1 tablespoon minced red onion
(see note)
1 teaspoon garlic paste OR 1
clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
Ground black pepper 5 tablespoons olive oil
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes (or according to package directions), then add the green beans and cook 3 minutes more or until pasta is tender and beans are crisp-tender. Drain. Rinse under cool running water and drain again.
Place pasta and beans in a large bowl. Stir in lemon zest and thyme. Cool to room temperature.
Finely chop 4 tablespoons of the pistachios and add them to the pasta mixture. Stir in the bell pepper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, red onion, garlic, vinegar and a generous grind of black pepper. Whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a slow steady stream, whisking until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over pasta and beans and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until chilled. Add whole pistachios just before serving.
Makes about 6 servings. Note: If desired, soak the minced onion in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain to remove some if its bite. Recipe loosely adapted from The Washington Post
This alcohol-free trifle has been scaled down to make just 4 to 6 servings. It can be made using traditional dairy-based ingredients or dairyfree.
Easy Mixed Berry Trifle
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed, if using frozen)
1 ½ to 2 cups sliced fresh or frozen strawberries (thawed, if using frozen) Granulated sugar, to taste 2 cups cubed cake such as sponge cake or pound cake (vegan cake recipe follows), divided use
2 cups prepared vanilla pudding (vegan pudding recipe follows), divided use 1 cup whipped heavy cream or nondairy whipped topping such as So Delicious Fresh mint for garnish
Separately, sweeten blueberries and strawberries to taste with granulated sugar.
In a straight-sided bowl or individual parfait glasses, layer cake, fruit and pudding, repeating layers until bowl or glasses are almost full. Top with whipped cream. Chill well before serving.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
This vegan cake has just a hint of coconut flavor.
Vegan Vanilla Cake
1 ¾ cups cake flour or allpurpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/3 to ½ cup coconut oil or vegetable shortening, melted and cooled 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8- or 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper or line cupcake pan with 12 paper cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together coconut milk, oil, vanilla and vinegar.
Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not over-mix.
Fill the cupcake wells about two-thirds full with batter. Bake 18 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in near the center comes out clean.
Makes 1 (8- or 9-inch cake) or 12 cupcakes.
Vegan Vanilla Pudding
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch Pinch salt
2 cups unsweetened dairy-free milk such as almond, soy or macadamia nut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon solid coconut oil
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt.
Whisking constantly, pour in the nut milk and vanilla extract and bring to a boil over mediumhigh heat. Immediately reduce heat to low and cook, whisking frequently, for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in coconut oil. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic to the surface. Refrigerate until cooled, but not set.
Makes about 2 cups.