Since many of us are at home with a full house, this week’s inspiration is a quick and delicious one that is packed with veggies to boost your immunity. Grilled Veggie Picada is a vegan side dish that is bursting with flavors and color.
As we know eating the rainbow is key, especially when we want to stay healthy, This grilled veggie picada incorporates any and all veggies you love in one dish. Just pick what you love, incorporate as many colors as you can and your dish will be magical.
Sounds simple right, however the magic here is in the sauce, the picada. Picada is a traditional sauce from Catalonia, Spain. It is used in many dishes as a final touch, or to thicken other sauces. This sauce is versatile and can be used on meat, fish, vegetable or rice dishes. The is made of a few simple ingredients that when combined are extraordinary and surprisingly delicious.
There are several ways to prepare the traditional Catalan Picada. The main ingredients are almonds or hazelnuts, bread (sometimes cookies), some kind of liquid (broth, oil, or water), and then some spices like garlic, parsley, dark chocolate, cumin, cinnamon, etc. SOunds weird right? I promised it’s not, this grilled veggie picada is a real treat and so easy to make. Try it and see how your family devours it. Happy Cooking!
Recipe Notes
Grilling the veggies is as easy as 1,2,3… Just place all your veggies on a baking sheet, sprinkle with avocado oil and sea salt and place in oven under broil for 10-15 min. You want veggies to get a bit charred and tender but not too soft.
While veggies are cooking you can make the sauce. Gather your ingredients and start with a frying pan and avocado oil and heat it up. Slice your garlic thinly and place in pan with oil over medium heat. Let this fry up until its golden, however be sure to keep an eye on it as it can burn in a second. These are like the garlic chips, have you tried them? It is basically fried up garlic that is crunchy and delicious and can be used as croutons or seasoning on food. You can make them or order some garlic chips ready made, however for this recipe I suggest you make them fresh.
When garlic is ready remove it and pour in a bowl with the oil. This oil is now seasoned and extra delicious and will be our liquid for the sauce. Add the rest of the ingredients, chop us if you have not done so already. Remember almonds should be toasted and chopped up and use a good quality chocolate of 85% cacao. Add in the cherry vinegar like this one and mix well. This sauce is rich, and totally balanced with all the flavors.
Like what you see and want to learn more? Check out some other great recipes here…
Recipe: Grilled Veggie Picada
Grilled Veggie Picada
Grilled Roasted Vegetables with a rich and flavorful Picada sauce to boost this dish to another world.
Ingredients
- Grilled Veggies:
- 1 head of cauliflower chopped into florets
- 2 portobello mushrooms sliced
- 6-8 mini sweet peppers
- 8-10 shoshito peppers
- 6-8 asparagus cut in half
- 1-2 tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- Picada Sauce:
- 8 cloves of garlic sliced thin
- 3/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 cup whole almonds toasted and chopped
- 1 cup Italian parsley finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp dark chocolate grated (at least 85%)
- 1 Tbsp Sherry vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Start by preheating oven to 500 F on broil, and lining a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash and cut up veggies and place on baking sheet in sections.
- Drizzle avocado oil and sprinkle with seas salt
- Place in oven for 10-15 min until veggies are charred and grilled.
- While veggies are grilling we can make the sauce. Using a frying pan, add 3/4 cup avocado oil and heat up to medium heat.
- Once oil is hot add garlic slices and cook over medium heat until garlic is golden. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Remove from pan and pour into a bowl with oil.
- Add parsley, almonds, grated chocolate, salt, pepper, and cherry vinegar to garlic and oil and mix well. You will get a thick chunky sauce, kind of like chimichurri.
- When veggies are ready, plate them and pour picada sauce over and serve.
Notes
- For grilled veggies, you can use anything you like or have in your fridge.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 471Total Fat 40gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 33gCholesterol 0mgSodium 920mgCarbohydrates 27gFiber 9gSugar 11gProtein 8g
Nutrition calculator is not 100% accurate as it is computer generated.