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Healthy Vegetarian Recipes for a Budget - Grilled Tandoori Vegetables

Melissa_Banigan by Melissa_Banigan

Vegetarian and Inexpensive... It's Impossible to Go Wrong with Grilled Tandoori Vegetables

We're all busy. Between work, family, chores and activities, it's tough to find the time and energy to make an involved dinner! Fortunately, with just a few key ingredients, you can whip together a beautiful grilled side dish using fresh vegetables and a few key Indian spices.

Don't have a grill? No worries- you can just as easily roast the vegetables after the marination process.

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About the author

BREAK OUT OF BUSHWICK is a blog that details the travel planning adventures of Melissa Banigan- a single mother- and her ten year old daughter. Expect to find articles about how to travel and eat on a dime and set a reasonable budget, interviews with fellow travelers and renowned authors, and information about curriculum and educating on the road.
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What is tandoori?

First of all, tandoori is not a recipe, it is a way of cooking flavorful vegetables and meats using tandoori masala seasonings.

Tandoori masala is a popular combination of spices that is used to make tandoori chicken or vegetables, tikka or butter chicken. While cayenne pepper, chili powder, paprika and turmeric give tandoori it's trademark orange color, garam masala, ginger, garlic are also used to made tandoori masala seasoning. Foods marinated with yogurt in tandoori seasonings are traditionally cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor (a clay oven), but are regularly prepared on a BBQ grill.

Tandoori foods are often served with naan (a flat bread) which has been cooked on the side of a tandoor.

What you'll need to get started

You don't need much to make quick, easy tandoori, but I find using the following two tools incredibly helpful:

1) Metal skewers with a flat edge keep my food from twisting and ultimately falling into the grill

2) A great mortar and pestle make it easy for me to grind my own tandoori masala spices
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Ingredients

THE VEGETABLES - approximately 2 lbs

2 cobs of corn
2 zucchini
1 package of cherry tomatoes
1 red onion
1 orange pepper

I also like to use corn on the cob (cut into 2 1/2 inch pieces and orange or red peppers. In fact, I will leave out or add vegetables based on their freshness. Please note that the marinade below is delicious not only with vegetables, but with tofu, chicken and fleshy fishes that won't break apart on the grill.

THE MARINADE

1 1/2 cups yogurt
Juice of 1 lemon
4 or 5 minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
3/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek powder
1 teaspoon coriander
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Also, make sure to have plenty of wooden skewers on hand. Soak them at least 1/2 before use so that they won't burn on the grill!

Having trouble finding ingredients at your grocery store?

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What exactly is fenugreek?

Intimidated by even the names of some Indian spices? Not sure where to purchase them, how to prepare them, and when to use them? Read this A-Z guide for information on all of the most popular Indian spices.
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Using a mortar and pestle versus buying pre-ground spices

Spices quickly lose their flavor after they've been ground. To avoid your grilled tandoori to have a flat flavor, grind them yourself with a mortar and pestle! In this recipe, grinding your fresh ginger with your dried spices beautifully combines the aromas and tastes of each element.

Want to know more about the best products for preparing and storing whole spices? Check out the link below for more information.
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Throwing it all together

*Although I prefer metal skewers, if using disposable bamboo, soak for at least 1/2 hour before adding marinaded vegetables.

*Grind all dry marinade ingredients using your mortar and pestle. Alternatively, if you are without a mortar and pestle, you may use pre-ground spices or can crush your whole spices in an electric spice grinder.

*Add your 'wet' marinade ingredients such as fresh grated ginger and garlic. Grind dry and wet materials together to combine flavors.

*Mix vegetables gently with marinade in either a large Ziploc freezer bag or a covered bowl. Cover overnight or for at least 1/2 hour.

*Skewer vegetables, leaving 1/4 inch between vegetables.

*Heat grill to at least 400 degrees. The trick to tandoori cooking is high temperature cooking!

*Place skewers on grill. Cook one side until vegetables until a little charred, then turn, cooking all sides evenly.

*ENJOY!

Some of the Best Grills on the Market

Don't have a tandoor in your backyard? Invest in a grill for years of cooking fun!
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Check out other quick and easy vegetarian recipes!

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Great Indian Cookbooks

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New Guestbook Comments

  • KatieLay Nov 16, 2011 @ 2:57 am | delete
    Made some somosa's with Masala in it, simply amazing!
  • compugraphd Aug 10, 2011 @ 12:37 am | delete
    ?"?

    I'm trying to come up (in my brain first) a substitute for yogurt (all the vegan yogurts I've seen have sugar and I'm diabetic) -- I'm thinking, perhaps, something with almond milk and pureed steamed cauliflower. (formerly Father) Ron Pickarski had a vegan "sour cream" recipe in a stroganoff recipe in one of his cookbooks.
  • Melissa_Banigan Aug 10, 2011 @ 6:23 am | delete
    Ah- that sounds good, compugraphd. Also, there's a tofu/cashew mix I've used before as a substitute for yogurt. I'll post the recipe in a lens if you like? Many people use coconut milk as a yogurt replacement, but I believe it's relatively high in sugars.
  • KellydeBorda Aug 8, 2011 @ 6:47 am | delete
    Great lens - it's always nice to see foods for the grill that aren't the standard meats and chicken! Blessed by the Barbecue Angel. :)
  • Melissa_Banigan Aug 10, 2011 @ 6:21 am | delete
    Thanks so much, KellydeBorda! I'm a meat eater, but my household generally eats vegetarian and/or vegan meals. So much healthier/cheaper/better for the planet!
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Melissa_Banigan

Hello! My name is Melissa Banigan. I'm a writer, travel planner, foodie on a budget, blogger, single mother and private consultant living in Brooklyn,... more »

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