Grilling Portobellos, Veggie Dogs & Burgers
Grilling Portobellos, Veggie Dogs & Burgers

Grilling Portobellos, Veggie Dogs & Burgers

GRILLED SWEET ONIONS, PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM CAPS, & CORN:

This week I tried wooden skewers for the first time and it worked out really well!  No more onion pieces rolling all willy-nilly around the grill.  And as an added bonus, the skewers didn’t burst into flames.

I preheated the grill to HIGH, then cubed 3 onions and put the cubes into a gallon sized Ziploc bag.  I added olive oil, garlic flakes, and seasoned salt, shook the bag up, dumped it out, and skewered the pieces.  I have no idea if I was supposed to soak the wooden skewers in water first, but I didn’t:

cubing the onions to prepare them for grilling        skewering the seasoned onions to prepare them for grilling

I put the onions on the grill first, so they’d be less al dente for hubby:

i put the skewered onions on the grill first to give them a head start

While they were cooking [under a closed lid], I went back inside and opened the 2 packs of portobello mushroom slices I’d bought.  I cut each slice in half, then dumped them into a bag, added olive oil and seasonings, shook it up, dumped it out, and skewered them:

shaking up the sliced portobellos with olive oil & seasonings        skewering the seasoned portobellos to prepare them for grilling

I added the mushroom skewers and 4 ears of corn to the grill.  The onions had been cooking for about 8 minutes already and were starting to get nice and charred:

grilling skewered onions, skewered portobellos, and corn on the cob

After 6 minutes:

grilling skewered onions, skewered portobellos, and corn on the cob

After 6 more minutes:

grilling skewered onions, skewered portobellos, and corn on the cob

After another 7 minutes everything was perfectly done:

grilling skewered onions, skewered portobellos, and corn on the cob

I cut the corn off the cob into bowls, added a bit of butter, and we had a feast:

grilled skewered onions, skewered portobellos, and corn on the cob        grilled skewered onions, skewered portobellos, and corn on the cob

The petunias in our yard are doing really well this summer – they seem to love the heat!

red and purple petunias in our yard

Last week after work we went to Crane Beach in Ipswich [4 miles down the road from us].  The marshes leading to the beach, the boardwalks over the dunes, and the beach itself are so pretty.  We always feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful area:

ipswich marsh near crane beach        ipswich dune boardwalks at crane beach

ipswich dune boardwalks at crane beach        crane beach tents and clouds

This past weekend I drove 40 minutes to visit my parents in Marblehead.  Their condo has a beautiful view of the harbor:

view of marblehead harbor from mom and dad's condo

We had a very nice cookout on their deck with my aunt and uncle.  I hope you’re all enjoying the summer as much as I am!

GRILLED VEGGIE DOGS & QUINOA BURGERS:

3 days later I grilled up some veggie dogs & burgers.  I haven’t eaten “real” hotdogs in a very long time, because they’re typically made with pork. I gave up eating pigs about 15 years ago ever since learning they’re smarter than dogs*. Plus they’re adorable. Those little faces! And Esther the Wonder Pig is my all time favorite pig [the following screen grabs from her Facebook page were posted without her permission – hopefully she won’t mind]:

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285b4        285d4

She makes me laugh all the time. I love you, Esther!

I’ve tried all-beef hotdogs, and I’ve had turkey dogs, but I’m also OK eating veggie dogs. Jim picked some up at the store Tuesday, as well as roasted garlic & quinoa burgers:

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With burgers & dogs there’s really no grill preparation required asides from preheating it. I tossed 3 dogs and 2 burgers on the grill Tuesday night:

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I closed the lid and went back inside because it was SO FREAKING HOT IN THE YARD:

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Our back yard heats up to well over 100° many days, once the sun moves around. This was almost 7pm and it was still 99° out there! Thankfully with the AC on, the inside of the house was a more reasonable 81°. Still on the warm side, but better.

After 5 minutes:

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After another 5 minutes – done! So easy:

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I tossed buttered rolls on for me [Jim prefers his un-grilled], and the flames leaped up to grab the butter, which is always slightly startling:

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Sooooooooooo easy and so good:

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2 dogs & 1 burger for hubby, 1 dog & 1 burger for me. Numnumnum.

This will probably be my last grilling post for a while, since I’ve just about covered everything on my summer grilling list. Although my friend Holly suggested I try beets, and that sounds tantalizing… And Jo suggested peaches, which I’ve had at Abbie’s, and those are awesome. And Jim’s coworker suggested cabbage impaled on a half-full beer can, which sounds intriguing… We’ll see! I’m hoping this weekend to actually work on some DIY stuff around the house, since it won’t be so blastedly hot out.

And for people who worry about the protein content in vegetarian choices [hi Mom!], here’s the breakdown between a regular Oscar Mayer beef/pork hot dog, and a Morning Star Farms veggie dog:

285l2        285m2

The veggie dog has less calories, MORE protein, less fat, and less sodium.

Here’s the breakdown between a typical beef hamburger and a Morning Star Farms veggie burger:

285n        285o

The veggie burger has less calories, LESS protein [but still a good amount for half a meal], less fat, but [and the only bad part] a crap ton more sodium.

Have a wonderful weekend!

* Meat caveat: I can’t eat pigs because they’re smart. The idea of eating sentient meat makes me nauseous. That’s why I’ll never eat octopus or squid, either. I can’t eat ducks because they’re WAY too funny & adorable. Same goes for rabbits. I can’t eat lamb [even though I love it] because lambs are babies. I’ve never been able to stomach veal for the same reason.

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9 Comments

    1. Nine Dark Moons

      Yes it is. I like going after work because it’s not very crowded. Yesterday after work the water was super warm – we spent about 20 minutes cooling off. On the weekends it’s crazy busy, like Singing Beach. I don’t like it when it’s like that!

  1. OK, I got brave and tried grilled eggplant the other day. My reaction: That’s why children don’t like vegetables! 🙂 It’s just not for me. Maybe eggplant parm would be better. Anything is better with cheese! But thanks for inspiring us to try something new.
    I like putting veggies on bamboo skewers, too … with shrimp!

  2. Anne

    Your grilled veggie dinner look so incredibly good – I think we have to duplicate that next weekend.
    I have to admit that your burger and dog meal looked absolutely delicious – and thanks for the labels. I can give up that segment of worries.
    And yes, Esther the Wonder Pig is really funny; and really cute!
    Love your pictures of your beach – what a fascinating and beautiful town you two live in.
    We’re all so lucky to live on the North Shore – without a doubt it’s one of the most beautiful areas in the country.

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