The best part about summer is that you can take your cooking outdoors. If you enjoy firing up your grill on those balmy summer days and are looking for meatless, vegetarian grilling recipes, look no further; I’ve got you covered. Here are some super tasty, super easy vegetarian grilling recipes for you!

Grilled Eggplant, Halloumi and Pesto Burgers

Halloumi is a dense, salty cheese from Cyprus. It grills without melting! Halloumi is one of my favorite things ever to grill. Many grocery stores carry it, as do Middle eastern and Mediterranean markets. The grilled halloumi, along with thick grilled eggplant discs make an unforgettable meaty, tasty vegetarian burger. Get the recipe here..

Grilled Corn Cobs with Miso Butter

You got to have corn if you are grilling! I put a delicious Asian twist to my grilled corn on the cob. I slather it with a rich, deeply flavored miso butter! Grill up some corn with miso butter and your cookout guests will be wondering what that terribly tasty secret ingredient is!

Get the recipe here..

Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Roasted Red Pepper Burger

Because you can’t have too many grilled veggie burgers! Heres another yummy, yet easy grilled burger recipe for you. Portobello mushrooms are so great on the grill. They soak up the balsamic marinade wonderfully. And they hold up very well to grilling. And because of their large size, they are so easy to manage on a grill. I add some mozzarella for some gooey cheesy goodness.

Get the recipe here..

Tandoori Grilled Broccoli and Cauliflower Kebabs

Theres nothing like a good, chargrilled Indian style kebab. These broccoli and cauliflower skewers are marinated in a spicy yogurt sauce with ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander and garam masala and then grilled to perfection. They will taste great over my paella style tomato rice.

Get the recipe here..

Grilled Naan Salad

This recipe can be made on the grill or in an oven and is easily adaptable. Its my take on Fattoush – a levantine bread salad. Only, I put an Indian twist on it! It will be absolutely wonderful served with the tandoori grilled broccoli and cauliflower above!

Get the recipe here..

Here is a vegetarian grilled eggplant, halloumi and pesto burgers recipe that even meat lovers will go crazy for. This is perfect for weekend and holiday grilling.

Halloumi is one of my favorite cheeses. This salty, dense cheese is from Cyprus and is great for grilling. You can substitute halloumi with mozzarella, feta or paneer, but it just wont be the same :(

But if you do use any of the substitutions, remember that you don’t have to grill the mozzarella or feta. If using paneer, sprinkle it with salt after grilling.

The eggplant and halloumi won’t stick if your grill is hot and well-seasoned. If you are doubtful, spray some nonstick spray on the grill grates before starting it up.

Grilled Eggplant, Halloumi and Pesto Burgers Recipe

Makes 4 burgers

1 medium eggplant, weighing about 1 lb.
3/4 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4^th teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
4 oz halloumi cheese

To assemble the grilled eggplant, halloumi and pesto burgers
4 medium sized burger buns
4 teaspoons pesto
Mayonnaise, according to taste. Optional.
2 leaves of lettuce, cut in half
1 large tomato, cut into 4 slices

Cut the eggplant into ½ inch thick rounds, at its widest part. Save the remaining eggplant for another dish. Place the sliced eggplant in a shallow dish.

Whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning salt and pepper together. When adding salt, keep in mind that the halloumi is an already salty cheese. Pour the whisked ingredients over the eggplant rounds, and toss well to coat.

Slice the halloumi into ½ inch thick slices.

Heat a grill on medium-high heat. You can use an outdoor grill or a cast iron stove top grill like I did.

When the grill is hot, arrange the eggplant slices on the grill, and cook for about 6 minutes on each side or till the eggplant is cooked.

Then grill the halloumi slices on both sides till golden grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side.

If you don’t have a grill, you can cook the eggplant and halloumi in batches on a large skillet.

You are now ready to assemble the burgers.

Spread some mayonnaise, if using, on 2 halves of a burger bun. Take one half of a bun, and stack the grilled eggplant, halloumi and spread 1 teaspoon of pesto. Top it with tomato and lettuce. Place the other half of the burger bun on top.

Serve with fries or a chilled cucumber salad tossed with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

These burgers will go great with my blueberry lemonade or jalapeno lemonade.

Repeat after me – balsamic makes everything better! Especially grilled summer vegetables and quinoa. I love to grill vegetables tossed in a simple dressing or marinade of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and garlic. I then serve the same dressing as a dipping sauce for the vegetables.

Herb name engraved vintage silver forks are the latest addition to my prop collection. I got them from Beach House Living shop on Etsy.com. Rita will customize the forks for you; her work is beautiful and service is super quick. Rita also flattens out engraved forks, spoons, and knives to be used as garden markers.

To salt or not to salt eggplant before cooking?

Eggplant is full of little air pockets (which is what makes it spongy). When cooking, these air pockets will absorb oil, and make your dish oily. Salting will collapse these air sacs.

Salt eggplants before cooking:
- to reduce oil absorption
- for firmer texture when cooked
- to remove bitterness from an old eggplant

Dont salt eggplant before cooking:
- for dishes that require mashing or pureeing the eggplant
- for silky, soft texture
- if you are quick cooking the eggplant or using high heat (like in this recipe)

How to salt eggplant:

Cut the eggplant as called for in the recipe. Place it in a colander. Sprinkle some salt over the eggplant (as much salt as you would when you cook it). Toss well. Place a heavy saucer or plate over the eggplants in the colander, to weigh them down. Let the eggplant sit like this in the colander for about and hour. All the moisture (brown liquid) will drain out. Rinse well, and pat dry with a cloth. Make sure eggplant pieces have been dried well. Then cook according to the recipe.

You dont have to salt the eggplant for this recipe, because you arent grilling it for long, so you dont risk it getting soft or mushy.

Use whatever vegetables you like. Red bell peppers, mushrooms, any winter squash, asparagus will also taste great grilled and served with quinoa; check out Dishing up Delight’s roasted vegetable quinoa recipe. 101 cookbooks has a quinoa recipe with roasted cherry tomato and tofu.  

How cute are these little pearlini mozzarella balls? If you cant find them use bocconcini (slightly larger mozzarella balls). Vegans can use pan fried tofu or some toasted pine nuts or walnuts instead.

Balsamic Grilled Summer Vegetables (Eggplant, Zucchini, Tomato, Red Onion), Pearlini Mozzarella and Basil Quinoa Salad Recipe

serves about 3. (you will have as much grilled vegetables as quinoa).

for balsamic dressing
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic minced
salt and pepper

for grilled summer vegetables
1 small italian eggplant (about 2 cups when cut into big cubes)
1 small zucchini (about 2 cups when cut into big cubes)
1/2 small red onion (1/4 of a large red onion)
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped

for basil quinoa salad
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
1/4 cup basil leaves loosely packed, chopped

other ingredients
1/2 cup pearlini mozzarella balls, or bocconcini mozzarella balls, tossed in a little salt and pepper
(substitute with pan fried tofu or toasted pine nuts or walnuts for a vegan dish)

Whisk together all the balsamic dressing ingredients and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, boil water for the quinoa salad. Add quinoa and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer covered, till all the water has been completely absorbed, about 20 minutes.

While quinoa is cooking, cut the eggplant and zucchini into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Cut the red onion into rings. Place cubed eggplant, zucchini, red onion, tomatoes and thyme leaves in a bowl. Pour half the balsamic dressing over the vegetables and toss well.

Brush grill grates with olive oil or non-stick spray (I used a stove top cast iron grill). Heat grill to medium-high. Grill the vegetables about 3 minutes on one side or till grill marks appear, about 3 minutes. Flip them over and grill other side till vegetables are tender but still a bit firm. Tomatoes will cook quicker, remove them from the grill as soon as they start to blister.

Reserve the balsamic dressing that remains in the bowl, to serve with the meal.

If you dont have a grill, broil the vegetables in the top rack of an oven, till one side is golden. Flip and broil other side.

When the quinoa finishes cooking, toss it with the second half of the balsamic dressing. Stir in chopped basil, salt and pepper. 

Spread quinoa on a platter or bowl. Arrange the grilled summer vegetables and mozzarella around the quinoa. Serve warm with the reserved balsamic dressing on the side.

A tandoor is an Indian clay oven. Marinated meat, cottage cheese (paneer) or vegetables are skewered and cooked in the oven. The result is smoky, charred skewers of tandoori yumminess.

Make sure you soak the skewers before grilling, otherwise they will burn on the grill. If you dont have a grill, you can place the skewers in the oven and broil them till brown and slightly charred. Then flip the skewers and broil the other side.

The tandoori marinade recipe I give you is very versatile, you can use it for paneer, tofu, potatoes, even seitan.

I like to blanch the broccoli and cauliflower before marinating. This reduces grilling time and also makes it easier to thread the skewer into the broccoli and cauliflower.

We usually eat these grilled kebabs with either brown rice, rotis or pita bread and some raita. Here are some recipes on Veggie Belly that will make great accompaniments to these kebabs:

Walnut raisin rice

My grandmother’s multicolored raita

Tamarind Jelly

Tandoori Grilled Broccoli and Cauliflower Kebabs Recipe

serves about 2 as an entree

4 bamboo skewers (about 10 inches long)

1 small head of broccoli
1/2 small head of cauliflower
1 small red onion, cut into 4 wedges
1 large tomato, cut into 4 wedges

for marinade
3 tablespoons chickpea or garbanzo flour (besan)
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
Salt

Soak bamboo skewers in water for atleast 30 minutes, to prevent them from burning on the grill.

Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into large florets. You should have 6 florets (about 2 cups) each of broccoli and cauliflower.

Bring water to boil in a medium pot. Add plenty of salt. Add the broccoli and cauliflower florets. Bring back to a boil. Cook for 20 seconds. Then turn off heat and drain the broccoli and cauliflower. Rinse under very cold water to stop the cooking. If the tap water is not cold enough, dunk the broccoli and cauliflower in a bowl filled with water and ice cubes, then drain. Pat dry with a towel. Make sure the vegetables arent wet, if they are they will dilute the marinade.

Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Add the broccoli, cauliflower, tomato and onion pieces to the marinade. Mix gently so the marinade coats all the vegetables. Cover and refridgerate for about 30 minutes.

Heat an out door grill to 400f. Skewer the broccoli, cauliflower, onion and tomato pieces. Place on grill and cook till one side of the vegetables is slightly charred, about 1 minute. Then using tongs, flip the skewers and cook the other side. If you dont have a grill, broil the skewers in the oven.

We didnt grill anything over July 4th weekend because I was away in Atlanta for a dear friend’s wedding reception. But I will share a lot of vegetarian and vegan grilling recipes with you in the next few weeks.  To start off, here is an easy grilled corn recipe with miso butter.

I used Miso butter to add a special touch to plain old grilled corn on the cob. I love the depth and umami flavor of miso; and it goes really well with the sweetness of grilled corn. If you dont have or dont like miso, use soy sauce as a substitute.

How to use miso butter
toss with popcorn
slather the miso butter on grilled tofu
top baked potatoes
use it was a dipping sauce for steamed vegetables
toss with pasta

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Miso Butter Recipe

serves about 4

for miso butter
1 tablespoons miso paste (substitute with soy sauce)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tablespoon lime juice
salt

for grilled corn
4 corns on the cob, husk and silk removed

for garnish
chopped green onion
chopped pickled jalapenos

Mix all ingredients for miso butter together and set aside.

Heat an outdoor grill to about 400f. Place corn on grill and turn the corn occassionally so that all sides are grilled evenly. Corn will be cooked in about 12 minutes. When done, remove the corn from the grill using tongs.

Brush miso butter over the corn and serve immediately. Garnish with chopped green onion and jalapenos.

I received the below facebook message one day from my friend, Aditya. Being the great mushroom aficionado that I am, how could I have posted all  but one portobello recipe on this site?!  Ive featured other mushrooms on Veggie Belly, like the shitake mushroom soup, morel mushrooms over polenta, beech mushroom flat bread, and my recent morel mushroom pasta with fiddleheads. But the mighty, meaty portobello has been in all but one recipe on veggie belly. I defenitely had to remedy that!

Aditya, this one is for you  ♥ 

These portobellos were larger than the palm of my hand! But they turned out to be the perfect size for these sandwiches/burgers; they shrunk just enough while cooking on the grill, to fit in the kaiser roll. Portobello or portabella mushrooms are delicious in burger style sandwiches because they are meaty in taste and texture. They are often called the ‘steak of all mushrooms’! They also take to grilling very well. I used beefsteak tomatoes in this sandwich, again, for their meaty texture. But any tomato will do.

Grilled Portobello Roasted Red Pepper and Mozzarella Sandwich/Burger Recipe

makes 4 sandwiches

4 large portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
salt & pepper
4 kaiser rolls or burger buns or 8 slices of any other loaf bread
2-4 tablespoons mayonnaise or my white bean asparagus hummus
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 slices beefsteak tomato
4 slices fresh mozzarella (or whatever cheese you like)
4 large pieces of store bought, jarred roasted red pepper
1 cup salad leaves or lettuce of your choice

Heat an outdoor grill to 400f.

Wipe the mushrooms clean. Using a spoon, scrape off the gills from the mushrooms. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Brush the olive oil and vinegar mixture all over the mushrooms.

Place the mushroom caps on the grill and grill about 2-3 minutes on one side. Flip the mushroom caps, and grill another 2-3 minutes. (If you like your cheese melted, place cheese slices on portobello caps (gill side) after you have flipped them). Remove grilled mushrooms to a plate, and cover to keep warm. If you are not using an outdoor grill, broil the mushrooms in the oven; about 3-4 minutes (or till browned a little) per side.

Cut the bread roll in half. Spread some mayonnaise or my white bean asparagus hummus  on both halves. Sprinkle some basil on top. On the bottom half of the bread roll, arrange the grilled portobello mushroom, tomato slice, mozzarella slice, and roasted red pepper. Top with lettuce or salad greens. Place the other bread slice on top. Secure sandwich with a toothpick. Serve with a side of soup or salad and fries or chips.