Welcome to barbeque season! Have you fired up the grill yet? I’ve been collecting some easy barbecue recipes to have on hand for July and August because we’re renovating our kitchen at the end of July. I’m doing a happy dance for the Future Kitchen, but I’ll be mourning the loss of Current Kitchen for several weeks. How’s a food blogger gonna get by? Well, I have a plan, my friends. Rather than abandoning the blog for 5-6 weeks, I’ve been setting aside recipes in advance that I can post during the renovation. I’m also setting aside recipes for late September/October while I’m soaking up time with our new baby. So, if things seem a bit quieter around here lately, that’s because I’ve been working hard sneaking away recipes for the upcoming months (you might see sneak peeks on Instagram though). I’m hoping this will help make these upcoming transitions a bit smoother!
Oh, and if any of you have any suggestions for “kitchen-free” or barbeque meals to make during a kitchen renovation, I welcome them with open arms. I have a feeling the spiralizer and Vitamix are going to get lots of use. We don’t own a microwave, but I’m wondering if I should invest in a hot plate to have on hand. Of course, lots of barbeque action will be going down too. This was a great one to kick off the season.
Vegan Green Goddess Dressing with Grilled Veggie Kabobs
Yield
about 3/4 cup dressing
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This recipe is adapted from my first attempt at a vegan Green Goddess dressing a few years ago. The former version was quite different from the original Goddess Dressing recipe, so this time I wanted to make something a bit more similar to the original using the same herbs (tarragon and chives) and a bit of egg-free mayo for an authentic flavour. I also added in some fresh avocado to give it a lovely creamy texture while giving it a boost of healthy fats. You can use this tangy and fresh dressing so many ways, but we especially love it spooned over grilled veggie kabobs. It's also lovely on a wrap, as a dip, or on a veggie burger.
Ingredients
FOR THE DRESSING:
- 1 small garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon
- 4 tablespoons fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons egg-free mayo (I use soy-free Veganaise)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup avocado flesh (1/2 a small avocado)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
FOR THE KABOBS:
- Bell peppers
- Red onion
- Zucchini
- Mushrooms
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- For the dressing: Mince the garlic in a food processor. Now add in the tarragon and chives and process until minced. Finally, add in the rest of the ingredients and process until the dressing is smooth (or just about). Adjust seasonings to taste if desired. Dressing can be used immediately or stored in the fridge (in a sealed container) for 3-4 days.
- For the kabobs: Preheat the BBQ over medium-low heat. Chop vegetables into desired sizes and place on vegetable skewers. Brush oil on veggies to coat all sides and season with salt and pepper. Grill the kabobs for around 15 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes. We grilled for the first 10 minutes on the top rack and then moved them to the bottom rack for the last 3-5 minutes.
- Serve kabobs immediately with a drizzle of dressing on top.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Happy grilling!
Ohh I’m excited for you for the future kitchen, how exciting! Hope you post pictures when it’s all done : )
I’m sorry I just hallucinated and thought you said you don’t have a microwave. Kudos to you. I don’t know how I’d survive without mine for the smaller jobs while I’ve got everything else fired up. The grill will be your best friend for sure. When we had a hurricane a few years ago, we were without power for a week and I grilled everything from seafood to chocolate croissants that rose in an hour in 100 degree heat! :-)
Can’t wait to see the new kitchen!
hah…it was a bit of an adjustment at first, but 3 years later I don’t even notice not having one anymore. :)
How do you usually heat up leftovers? Stove or toaster oven? Steamer?
I am very excited to try these veggie kabobs this summer! I can’t get enough of BBQ season (my fav being bbq’d eggplant!). If I was stuck without a stove for a bit I’d be making lots of overnight oats, smoothies and salads! Good luck with the reno’s!
These Eurodib induction burners are extremely helpful! You might want to pick up one for boiling water and reheating leftovers: http://reviews.costco.ca/2070-en_ca/10330620/eurodib-single-induction-cooker-reviews/reviews.htm
Thanks for the tip! I’ll check it out.
I love kitchen remodels. Can’t wait to see yours! I also am loving the BBQ idea. I am excited to get some more summer grilling recipes!
Love this Green Goddess recipe, Angela! I really like the vegan take.
I don’t have a microwave either! I really want a BBQ though. We don’t have a yard or balcony…only a fire escape, but some neighbours illegally have ginormous BBQs out there, so I think I might have to do the same soon. Everyone just pulls them inside once a year when the fire marshal comes for inspection haha!
Excited for your new kitchen! and hopefully the remodel goes smoothly and quickly and isn’t too much of a pain in the butt :D
Your smile in that photo just caught me!
It makes me happy. Thanks!
And a lovely recipe I must try this summer
…and make all the meat-eaters jeaulous…or share, maybe :D.
There is nothing better then grilled veggies on the BBQ. Yum! I have company coming this weekend so I think I might attempt this dressing. It looks delish! Love your necklace too by the way!
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Love grilled veggies and I need at least 3 bowls of that dip, just for myself! It looks delish – pinned!
Love the look of these kabobs – so colourful and so tasty!
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I vote for a toaster oven, more specifically a convection toaster oven. I find we use ours a lot…as much, if not more than, the oven and BBQ.
On a side note…the way you are carrying, you are totally having a boy!
I second the convection toaster oven! I thought it would be a huge waste of counter space but it’s one of my most used appliances, only second to my Vitamix and coffeemaker. I very rarely turn on the oven anymore.
This looks so good! I’ve been trying to think of what to bbq, that my husband will love too and this fits the bill for sure! Can’t wait to see photos of the new kitchen, so fun!
Wow. I would never live without a microwave. I use it at least 5x/day!
I’m honestly not usually the biggest fan of grilled veggies, but these look absolutely delicious with all the different types, colors, and sauce–I will (hopefully) be trying these at a BBQ this summer for something different!
Yum!
Any replacement ingredient for the vegan mayonnaise? I am not a fan of the processed stuff! Maybe more avocado?
Thanks for sharing!!
Yup, I would say use more avocado – probably only need another 1/4-1/3 cup? The flavour will change though so you might need to adjust the other ingredients.
I believe there’s a recipe for homemade mayo in the cookbook, too, no? #ohsheglowsforlife!
Yes there is! Thanks for reminding me…I forgot to put that as an option in the recipe. :)
Ooooh this looks so delicious! I cant wait to get back to my boyfriends house to be able to grill! This would be so perfect, and that dressing looks divine. I would just have to add some carbs in there to fuel up for my runs. Love the colors in this :)
These look so good! I love simple grilled veggies – can’t get any better than that! Definitely want to try that dressing – yum!
Ooooo a new kitchen?! What style kitchen is it? I feel like I spend my life in the kitchen, but then again that is where some of the best memories are made! Tarragon is not a herb I use very often, I am looking forward to testing out this recipe, looks fabulous.
We’re going for white & bright. I’d say the style is classic and transitional (a nice compromise between modern and traditional).
I don’t use tarragon much either, but it really impressed me in this recipe! I’ll have to start growing some.
I started liking tarragon in Ricki Heller’s grilled vegetable salad (rickiheller.com/2010/07/salad-days-2-grilled-vegetable-salad-with-fresh-tarragon-dressing/). I’m hoping I’ll appreciate the tarragon just as much in this recipe, which looks much more appetising than the original! I’m looking forward to trying this out =)
The dressing sounds amazing, imagining what else I could use it on. And these kabobs are so perfect for summer. Love ’em!