Fruits & Veggies Monday: Plant-Based BBQ Feast {Strawberry BBQ Sauce, Potato Salad, Squash & Chard}

Happy Monday!  I hope you all are excited for another fantastic day filled with @lenasveganliving's #fruitsandveggiesmonday entries.  Each week I am blown away by so many of the recipes and photos of all of the beautiful fruits and veggies available around the world.  Make sure to check out Lena's post to see all of the entries in one spot: https://steemit.com/fruitsandveggiesmonday/@lenasveganliving/3dumbj-steemit-fruits-and-veggies-monday-competition

I always try to bring my A-game, but today I worked especially hard on the plant-based meal I am presenting to you today.  Though the official start of summer is still a month away, here in the Southern USA the pools are already opening and everyone has dusted off the grills to take advantage of the season.  One of my favorite summer weekend activities is to hang out with friends by the pool during the day then enjoy a meal together in the evening.  Though many people associate summer grilling and barbecues with meat, I think these dishes will show you that vegetables can be the star of the meal.

Obviously I've been on quite the strawberry kick lately, but I wanted to make sure I came up with something really different to try out with my little beauties.  Barbecue sauce sounded like a perfect idea to incorporate the berries into.  Slightly sweet and tangy, many times the sauce contains refined sugars.  Why not replace those sugars with fruit?  You can use this sauce on just about anything--baked beans, veggie burgers, tacos--but I wanted to go with jackfruit to try it out on for the first time.  I have enjoyed using the canned young fruit more often to get that nice hearty texture, but I find it is just not that filling on its own so adding chickpeas was my way of bulking it out to make it a more satisfying part of my meal.

Strawberry BBQ Sauce

• 2 cups halved strawberries
• 1-2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce (depends on how spicy you want it)
• 3 tablespoons organic tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari or liquid aminos
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• dash of cayenne (optional)

Put everything in a blender and process until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Pour into a pan and bring just to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes.

I used a larger skillet to cook mine, then I added:

• 1 can green, young jackfruit, rinsed & chopped
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas

Simmer for an additional 10 minutes to let all of the flavors soak in and cook everything through.  If you are making for a crowd, I would double the recipe as this made about 6 portions for us.

The next part of my meal was the potato salad.  I think some form of this dish is found at just about any cookout or pot-luck meal!  I had actually made the bean dip a few months ago and really enjoyed it.  At the time I thought that it would make the perfect accompaniment to potatoes instead of the usual mayonnaise-laden dressing that I grew up never wanting to eat.  Please feel free to give it a try either way as dips are always a great addition to a communal dinner table. :)

Potato Salad with Mustard White Bean Dressing/Dip

• 2 pounds fingerling or other waxy potatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans (navy or cannelini are great)
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• handful chopped green onions or chives

Place your chopped potatoes in a large stockpot and fill with cold water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until cooked through.  Test with a fork to make sure they are cooked, but you do not want them too soft or they will fall apart in your salad.  Drain and rinse with cold water.

Place all of the rest of the ingredients into a food processor.  Blend on high, scraping the sides once or twice as needed, until smooth and all of the ingredients are incorporated together.

Mix this with your cooked potatoes and top with the chopped green onion.  This is super easy to make, so it's a great option to bring to a party.  Plus many people probably won't even realize it's totally vegan and healthy!

My final piece of the meal was a combination of yellow squash and Swiss chard from the farmers market.  You could totally grill the squash, or any other wonderful fresh summer vegetable, as well.  I used the skillet to keep it simple and have all of the components ready at the same time.  I had my usual assembly line going as I whipped everything together. :)

Squash & Swish Chard

• 1 small yellow onion, peeled & chopped
• 1 bunch of Swish chard, woody stems chopped & separated from the leaves
• 3-4 small yellow squash, sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 lemon, zest & juice
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Heat a skillet over medium.  Add in the onion and chard stems.  Cook about 7 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften and turn translucent.  Add in your Italian seasoning blend and the squash.  Stir together and continue cooking for an additional 7 or so minutes to cook the squash through (may take longer depending on how thick your slices are).

Turn off the heat but leave the pan on the burner and mix in the chopped leaves of the Swish chard to wilt.  Finally, remove the pan from the heat to finish it off the with lemon and mix in your herbs.

Enjoy!

I hope this gives you some ideas on how to #makeithealthy for summer BBQ season!  I can't wait to make this spread again to share with family and friends. :)