The Green Barbecue: Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes to Cook Outdoors and In

Iyer (The Green Roasting Tin) fires up her grilling game to “open up the world of cooking and eating outdoors” in this excellent assemblage of plant-based recipes. Allaying concerns that grilling vegetables or fruits leads to mushy, burned results, Iyer offers a practical approach to cooking over direct heat. While she personally advocates for the “fire factor” of charcoal grilling and the smoky characteristics it imparts (and offers tips to maximize flavor, like adding dry eucalyptus to the flames), she also celebrates the ease of cooking with temperature-controlled gas grills. Appetizers run the globally inspired gamut from crispy gnocchi on a stick dressed with vegan pesto to jerk cauliflower wings with a yogurt-based blue cheese dip. Fresh light bites offer “summer on a plate” with Moroccan-inspired charred halloumi with red peppers, artichokes, and preserved lemon, while heftier dishes—such as sweet potatoes with rosemary, lemon, and black beans—lean on hearty vegetables and starches robust enough to take center stage. Barbecued tofu saves the day as a satisfying meat substitute in such dishes as Vietnamese grilled tofu, while feta serves as the savory sidekick to grilled fruits. In a nod to Iyer’s Indian heritage, homemade naan gets served up three ways—most appealingly in a version that employs grated beets for an alluring hue. With minimal fuss and maximum flavor, this brings the heat to veggie-forward cooking. (June)