Is anybody else out there a huge NPR nerd? I listen frequently, and although I don’t always find time to listen to The Splendid Table, I heard it this past Sunday. They discussed a recipe I found so intriguing that I tried it just a few days later. I made Julie Sanhi’s Grilled Vegetables in Garlic-Cardamom Marinade. When I heard the story, I already had an eggplant and zucchini that I planned to grill, and this marinade sounded so tasty that I got a few extra ingredients and put it all together.
Several of the ingredients here are foods I’ve never used before, including fennel and cardamom. I’m so excited to try new things. One other new thing I’ve done this week is to pull out my serving dishes and use those (some for the first time, ever) even when it’s just two of us.
The marinade was light, but bright and fresh because it was mostly lime juice, cilantro, and garlic, plus some other spices and oil. I put in a whole chopped jalapeno, but I didn’t get any heat at all. I was a little worried that I’d find all the jalapeno bits in one bite, but thankfully I didn’t!
These vegetables were delicious. While I grilled, Alex went to our neighborhood Indian place and got a takeout dish and rice to go along with the vegetables.
So far, I’m doing pretty well on my pledge to use the grill more frequently. Up next? Grilled pizzas!
I've never used fennel and cardamom, either. It all looks so pretty. So...I would like a grill. Do you just have a regular outside grill/any special advice to offer someone who is thinking about getting a grill?
ReplyDeleteI've eaten these spices many times (part of my cultural heritage), but i haven't used them for grilled veg, esp as a marinade. Sounds and looks great.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful veggies. I prefer restaurant rice to homemade.
ReplyDeleteHi Jenny - I have an outdoor gas grill. It was the first thing I bought after I moved out of apartments! I just got a cheap Char-Broil from Lowe's, but it's been fine for me. Some of the fancier ones have things I don't need. I'm no expert, but this basic model has been fine for me.
ReplyDeleteMango - I'll be looking for new uses for cardamom now that I have some!
Shen, yes the restaurant rice is one of my favorites. It took a while for me to figure out how to cook rice at home - most of the instructions I used left it overcooked and gummy.
The grilled veggies look great! We need to use our grill more.
ReplyDeleteMmmm everything looks delicious!! I've never had cardamom but it sounds like it'd be delicious with fennel, which I've had.
ReplyDeleteI've never had fennel. I've seen several recipes that call for it, but I guess I've been too chicken to try it. :o) I pulled your blog up last night and showed my husband the picture of your grilled veggies. He said he would go for trying that. That is a VERY big deal, because he is NOT vegan, actually he doesn't eat many veggies at all. I think this may be on our menu for this weekend! It looks DELICIOUS!!!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds awesome Veggie Cookie, very inspiring.
ReplyDelete