Recipes: Grilled Asparagus + Fried Green Tomatoes

On Friday, Bring It Food Hub — a Memphis CSA hub that sources produce and goods from regional farmers — gave me a free bag of food to create new some recipes to share! In these pandemic times, nothing makes me happier than a bag of fresh produce! They have a pick-up location at Crosstown Concourse, where I work, so I walked over and picked up my bag on Friday afternoon (since I'm working from home for now). By the way, Bring It is now taking subscribers for their Summer 2020 season!

Look at this local food! There was kale, chard, radishes, asparagus, tomatoes (including some green ones!), spinach, polenta, salsa verde, and even dog treats from Beale Street Bluescuits (made with spent beer grain from my friend Kelvin's new brewery, Beale Street Brewing Co.).

Over the next few days, I'll be sharing recipes using all this delicious produce! But tonight, I've got a Grilled Asparagus recipe and a Fried Green Tomato Recipe for ya! On Saturday, Paul and I grilled out for Memorial Day Weekend, and we threw the asparagus on the grill. We also prepared fried green tomatoes inside on the stove to go with our outdoor meal.

When grilling asparagus, you can certainly place the spears directly onto the grill, but if your grill isn't lined with foil, you run the risk of losing spears in the grill grates. And if you do line your grill with foil (as we do), you still risk burning your asparagus with that direct heat. I prefer making a foil pack so your asparagus can take its time cooking along with your veggie burgers or Beyond Brats or whatever else you're cooking. Here's some spears getting ready for the grill!

Here's the recipe!

Grilled Lemon-Garlic Asparagus

Yields 2-4 servings

1 bunch asparagus

1 Tbsp. vegan margarine

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste

Toss the asparagus with softened margarine, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and salt/pepper and place in a large square of aluminum foil. Wrap tightly, and then double-wrap that bundle with another square of foil, making sure all edges are sealed. 

Place on the grill for 15 minutes or until spears are crisp-tender. 

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I wish there was a way to make fried green tomatoes on the grill! But then they wouldn't be fried. So I'd recommend you stick to making your fried green tomatoes indoors this summer. 

Now you can air-fry these or bake them, and they'll be okay. I'm normally a low-oil/no-oil cook these days, but there's one food that I do not hesitate to fry, and that's a green tomato. A fresh, tangy, breaded, crispy green tomato is a Southern delicacy that I only enjoy a couple times each summer, so I feel a-okay about consuming some oil when I eat these.

The following Fried Green Tomato recipe is from my cookbook, Cookin' Crunk: Eatin' Vegan in the Dirty South (available on Amazon or wherever fun books are sold!).

Fried Green Tomatoes

Yields 4 helpins

2 large green tomatoes

1/2 tsp. salt, plus more for sprinkling

1/2 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup unsweetened plant milk

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1/4 cup canola oil

Cut the tomatoes into thick slices and sprinkle with salt.

Put the cornstarch in one bowl, the plant milk in a second bowl, and in a third bowl, combine the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and ground pepper. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. The oil should generously coat the skillet. If it doesn't, add more! Heat until a pinch of flour sizzles when dropped into the hot oil. When that happens, you're ready to fry!

Take one slice of tomato and dip it into the cornstarch, pressing into both sides. Next, dip the slice into the plant milk, wetting both sides. And finally, dip into the breadcrumb bowl, pressing down on both sides until the crumbs stick. Place the slice into the hot oil, and repeat with the remaining slices. You may need to cook these in batches, as they should not overlap in the skillet.

Fry on one side for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Flip the slices, and fry until golden on the other side. When the slices are done, remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain the oil. Season with more salt if needed.