Traeger Lil Tex Pellet Grill

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not much of a salad fan, and though my general feelings on the matter haven’t necessarily changed I did find myself craving cold, crunchy veggies more than ever over this humid, hot summer. It’s pretty hard to imagine eating lasagna, soup, or other hot savoury foods when you step outside and break into a sweat!

When I went to Calgary earlier this year on my Subway Ambassador trip we got to learn a handful of recipes on the grill with their head chef, and my absolute favourite part was learning how to marinate and grill romaine lettuce. It’s shockingly simple, quick, and makes a massive taste difference to your salad. I was instantly hooked.

When I got my Lil’ Tex Pellet Grill this past August, trying my romaine tricks at home was at the top of my list, and I had a feeling Traeger’s Blackened Saskatchewan Rub would make the creation even more delicious. With grilled romaine lettuce as my jumping off point I made a list of other ingredients to incorporate – I’ve been experimenting with making the perfect vegan caesar dressing for what feels like years, and I think I finally managed to perfect it over the past month. Paired with smoky chickpeas and cashew nut cheese crumble, this salad might just be so good that it has the power to change a salad hater’s mind!

Scroll down for the recipe!

ROASTED CHICKPEAS

Ingredients //

Can of organic chickpeas
Blackened Saskatchewan Rub
Smoked paprika
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Recipe //

Strain and rinse one can of organic chickpeas, toss with olive oil, Blackened Saskatchewan Rub, smoked paprika and salt and pepper. Spread evenly across a bed of aluminum foil or bbq safe cooking sheeting and cook on medium-high heat for 30 mins.

NUT CHEESE

Ingredients //

1/2 cup Soaked cashews
1 garlic clove
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
pinch of salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Recipe //

Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor until it reaches a crumbly texture.

VEGAN CEASER DRESSING

Ingredients //

1/2 cup soaked cashews
Juice of one small lemon
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup tahini
1 tsp dijon
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper

Recipe //

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or high powder blender until completely smooth.

Wash the romaine lettuce well and allow to throughly dry. Cut each Romaine heart in half length-wide, cutting off the stocky part at the bottom. Use a brush to lightly coat the cut surface with olive oil and season with Blackened Saskatchewan Rub. Place face down on the grill on high heat for 10-15 mins until grill marks appear. Place grilled romaine on a bed of finely chopped kale and top with roasted chickpeas, crumbled nut cheese and vegan caesar dressing. Garnish with a lemon wedge and enjoy!

Blush dinnerware from Ikea Canada

Peach season is a precious time for us here in Ontario and I’ve been extra obsessed with fruit this Summer – somehow as unhealthy as I usually am, fruit has been my biggest pregnancy craving!

When I moved into #heaveninhighpark back in March I was already scheming to get equipped with the perfect grill to use in my newly acquired outdoor space. Going from a tiny condo to a home with both a yard and a front patio was a bit daunting at first, but as soon as I started filling the space it was such a fun project to dive into. I planted a fruitful garden (no peach trees… YET!) and set up seating, but the grill hunt took a lot longer than expected. There was so much to consider – charcoal or propane? How does one even use those flavoured wood chips? What type of grill was least likely to accidentally singe my eyebrows off while lighting it? After months of passively searching I finally found Traeger.

When it comes to BBQ’ing, it doesn’t get much better than Traeger. These pellet grills use wood-fired fuel to cook your food, giving everything a seriously delicious smoky flavour, plus there’s an actual smoker setting to play with too! I wanted to set up my grilling station on the front patio for easy access, so I went with the Lil’ Tex Pellet Grill – it’s the perfect size for an apartment but still fits quite a lot of food. The best part? It’s super easy to fire up without lighting yourself or anything else on fire, and food cooks everything from corn to tofu steaks fast!

When the grill arrived, I couldn’t wait to get one thing cooking: peaches! I know most people think meat when they think BBQ, but my lifelong veggie diet means BBQ season has always looked a bit different, and I love getting creative with fruits and veggies on the grill. I had tried grilled peaches at restaurants, but never made them myself, so I was determined they be the first thing I try to make, especially with it being the height of peach season! Of course plain old grilled peaches wasn’t all that exciting, so the idea evolved into strawberry grilled peach basil and honey ice cream sundaes with powdered donut crumb topping. Served up on perfect blush pink dinnerware from Ikea Canada, this recipe makes the dreamiest Summer treat!

Scroll down for the recipe!

Ingredients //

Fresh local peaches
Vegetable oil
Strawberry ice cream
Mini powdered donuts
Liquid honey
Fresh basil leaves

Recipe //

When choosing peaches for grilling it’s best to stick with slightly firmer ones. Wash and dry the fruit and carefully slice each one down the middle, vertically from it’s stem end. Twist each half in the opposite direction of each other and gently pull apart, use a spoon to dig out the pit.

Apply a light and even coat of vegetable oil to the cut side of each peach half. Place on a medium to high heat grill until golden brown grill marks appear.

While the peaches are grilling, crumble powdered mini donuts into small crumbs for the topping.

Place two grilled peach halves on the strawberry ice cream, top with donut crumbs, then drizzle with honey and garnish with a fresh sprig of basil!

Traeger Lil Tex Pellet Grill

BBQ Romaine Vegan Kale Caesar Salad

Grilled Peach Strawberry Ice Cream Sundaes with Powdered Donut Crumb