SizzliNg ON ThE gRill

healthy, Sustainable Summer fare

by Laura Paisley Beck

For most Americans, summer smells like fresh-cut grass and barbecue sizzling in the backyard. Approximately 64 percent of U.S. adults own a grill or smoker, but common practices are bad for the environment. Fortunately, many great chefs have the problem covered with delicious alternatives to traditional, carbon-emitting methods.

The downside of Grilling

Most charcoal and all lighter fluids contain chemicals that create air pollution when burned, harming our health and the environment. Better alternatives are sustainably sourced, organic and natural materials, such as charcoal made from bamboo or coconut shells.

Entrepreneur Fred Grosse sought to solve another problem associated with conventional grilling materials: the taste of lighter fluid on barbecue foods. He invented Mojobricks, a carbon-neutral alternative to charcoal designed to impart a smoky flavor to grilled foods. “You’re breathing in 50 percent less particulate matter standing at the grill than if you grill with charcoal or wood,” he says about his bricks made with compressed sawdust from wood mills. “They heat food more efficiently, take up less storage space than bags of charcoal and keep trees growing in the forest.”

PASTURE RAISED

Pork & Chicken

Humanely raised on a sustainable farm, home to heritage pigs, chickens, alpacas, angora rabbits, and goats.

“ The finest you have ever tasted.”

592 Stone Hill Road | Shoemakersville, PA 484-797-2263 | BentLimbFarm.com

What Gets Grilled Matters

Americans eat three times more meat than the global average. To meet the immense

demand, mass-produced beef is trucked across the nation with dire environmental impacts including cow methane emissions, the burning of fossil fuels for transport and excessive land use. To curtail these impacts, Americans can choose to reduce or eliminate their beef consumption and when they do decide to grill a ribeye or New York strip, choose local, organic, grass-fed beef.

Eliminating meat is simple as vegetarian and vegan options are innumerable. “Question what a burger is, and off you go with legumes, root vegetables, mushrooms, cheese or whatever you happen to feel like,” says Martin Nordin, author of Green Burgers. Genevieve Taylor’s new cookbook, Charred, features enticing meals to cook over a flame that include vegetables, spices, nuts, herbs and other inventive ingredients.

Amy Lawrence and Justin Fox Burks, co-authors of Low-Carb Vegetarian, have had a dramatic increase in requests for grilled versions of vegetarian dishes, a sign of increasing outdoor cooking trends. Whenhostingbackyarddinnerparties,considerthatpaperandplasticdinnerwarewill endupinthelandfill.Askgueststobringa plateandforkormixandmatchwhatever dishsetsareonhand.Anothersuggestion istogovintage.“Therehasalreadybeen somuchmanufacturedofeverything,we wouldn’tneedtomanufactureanotherplate, forexample,foranothergenerationortwo,” saysMorganMiller,ownerofRewindDecor vintagestoreinMadison,Wisconsin.

Withafewadjustments,eco-grilling iseasy,deliciousandmuchbetterforthe planet.Marinatelocallysourcedingredients, burnascarbon-neutralafireaspossibleand serveupdeliciousfoodonrealplatesthat friendsandfamilywillhelpwash.Guests willbeinspiredandfollowsuitintheirown homes.AsGrossesays,“Eachsmalldifferenceaddsuptobigchange.”

Laura Paisley Beck is a freelance writer and self-proclaimed foodie in Madison, Wisconsin. Reach out at LauraPaisleyBeck@gmail.com.

WILD ALASKAN SALMON & HALIBUT SHARES

Pre-Season Purchase ➟ Summer Harvest ➟ September Local Pick-Up

Order Salmon while it lasts

For more info call

Order Halibut by July 15

717.842.0180

or visit EatWildSalmon.com/NALB

Retail Store

30 E Main Street, Lititz Mon-Sat 10-5 | Sun 12-4 Gourmet Tools & Gadgets Specialty Foods Premium Herbs & Spices

Cooking School

1180 Erbs Quarry Rd, Lititz A state-of-the-art cooking school with classes for Kids, Teens and Adults.

www.ZestChef.com

Over 200 Premium Herbs & Spices

including a wide selection of salt- and sugar-free spices

bbQ brussels sprouts sandwiches with brussels sprout slaw

Yield: 6 sandwiches

2 lb Brussels sprouts 1 cup shredded carrot (about one large) 2 Tbsp mayonnaise 1 Tbsp grainy mustard Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste) 1 white onion (quartered and sliced) 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 2 Tbsp of The Chubby Vegetarian’s Memphis BBQ Dry Rub 1 cup BBQ sauce 6 hamburger buns

First, make the Brussels sprout slaw. Thinly slice enough of the Brussels sprouts to have 2 cups. Reserve the remainder of the Brussels sprouts. In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups shredded sprouts with the shredded carrot, mayonnaise, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Toss until wellincorporated. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve. (Makes about 2 cups of slaw.) Preheat the grill on high for 10 minutes. Cover the grill with a single layer of aluminum foil. Slice the remaining Brussels sprouts in half. In a large bowl, toss the halved Brussels sprouts and the onion with the sesame oil, vinegar and BBQ dry rub until everything is coated. Place the Brussels sprouts on the grill for 5 minutes on one side and 4 minutes on the other side, or until the edges are brown and they’re cooked through. Remove sprouts from the grill and place them into a medium bowl. Pour in BBQ sauce. Using a spatula, toss the Brussels sprouts in the sauce until they’re well-coated. Put the BBQ Brussels aside until ready to assemble the sandwiches. On the bottom part of each hamburger bun, pile on the BBQ and top it with the slaw.

julia volk/Pexels.com

the chubby vegetarian’s memphis bbQ dry Rub

(measure all ingredients bY volume)

Mix all ingredients in a large food storage container until equally distributed.

*Dried porcini mushrooms can be found at almost any specialty grocery or ordered online. Turn the dried mushrooms into a powder by placing them in a coffee grinder or food processor and pulsing until no large bits remain.

2 parts chipotle chili powder 2 parts sweet paprika 2 parts smoked paprika 2 parts granulated garlic 2 parts kosher salt 2 parts cracked black pepper 2 parts cumin 2 parts dried thyme 2 parts dried oregano 1 part cinnamon 1 part ground ginger 1 part light brown sugar 1 part powdered, dried porcini mushrooms*

Recipe by Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence of The Chubby Vegetarian blog and cookbooks.

herbes de Provence grilled steak

An absolute favorite steak preparation. Make sure to find a quality herbes de Provence blend that includes lavender.

Yield: 4 servings

Four six-ounce steaks 2 Tbsp herbes de Provence 1 ½ Tbsp sea salt 2 tsp coarsely ground pepper

Combine the herbes de Provence, sea salt and ground pepper in a bowl. Dry steaks with a paper towel, ensuring they are very dry. Generously cover the steaks with the rub on all sides, pushing the rub into each steak. Let set at room temperature for up to 30 minutes to give the rub time to integrate into the steaks.

Place steaks on a hot grill for 3–4 minutes per side for medium rare on a one-inch thick steak.

Remove steaks from grill, place on a cutting board under foil and let them rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Pairs well with oven-roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables or with arugula and slivers of manchego cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Submitted by Gwen Eberly, Chef at Zest Cooking School. Connect on Instagram or at EberlyG@comcast.net. Herbs de Provence available at Zest Spice Shoppe, located at 30 E. Main St., in Lititz. For more information, visit ZestChef.com. See ad, page 31.

Yield: 4 to 6 side-dish servings

1 lb 2 oz bunch of carrots, preferably with the tops on 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed in a pestle and mortar 1 tsp soft, dark brown sugar 1 tsp dried chili flakes, ideally chipotle chili flakes 1 clove garlic, crushed 1¼ cup ricotta ½ bunch of spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced ½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped 1 small bunch of coriander (cilantro), chopped Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Trim the tops off the carrots and scrub under running water. Slice in half lengthwise, or into quarters if they are a little larger, to approximately finger-thickness. Fill a pan with boiling water and add a little salt, then set over high heat and bring back to the boil. Once boiling, add the carrots and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain well and tip into a mixing bowl. While they are still hot, add the olive oil, cumin, brown sugar, chili flakes and garlic, and stir well to mix. Cover and leave to marinate for a couple of hours at room temperature. Once ready to cook, fire up the barbecue for direct grilling, or preheat a cast-iron griddle pan on the hob. Lay the carrots on the grill bars or griddle and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, turning regularly, until they are nicely caramelized. If barbecuing, add a few smoking wood chunks or chips to up the smokiness. Use a brush to baste the carrots with any excess marinade from the bowl while turning. Once soft and caramelized, scatter the carrots over a serving plate and dot with heaped teaspoons of ricotta. Sprinkle over the spring onions, chopped pecans and coriander. Finally, add a generous drizzle of olive oil and finish with a good grind of pepper. Serve while still warm.

Food in Harmony with Nature

Grass-Fed & Finished Beef/Lamb Poultry Pastured in the Great Outdoors No Antibiotics No Growth Hormones Humanely Raised

Eat Wild Farms

2250 Mt. Gretna Rd, Elizabethtown, PA 717-368-5308 | EatWildFarms.com Recipe from Genevieve Taylor’s book Charred.

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