Hi, friends! I’m back from vacation and ready to roll up my sleeves and get to grilling again! There are no burn warnings here in Virginia at the moment, so I had no qualms about firing up the grill tonight. On the menu: Vegetarian BLT burgers!
First, though, I prepared the baked beans. I placed a can of barbecue beans in an aluminum grill pan, covered it tightly with foil, and cooked the pan over the grill for about 25 minutes. Five minutes in, I added a foil packet filled with fresh asparagus from Great Country Farms, which I seasoned with some Old Bay and olive oil.
Then, 10 minutes into the baked-bean cook time, I added four veggie burgers to the grill as well (one was, sadly, lost to the coals in a bad flip a few minutes later), turning them over every 5 minutes or so. Then I heated up four slices of vegetarian bacon, which require great care since they’re prone to burning and sticking. (But they are completely worth the extra eagle eyes – they’re so crispy and tasty straight from the grill!)
When the 25 minutes had elapsed, I pulled the baked beans off the grill, followed by the asparagus and veggie burgers (two of which had received a slice of cheese by this point). Then I carefully removed the bacon and toasted two buns on the grate while I got the table set. One minute on each side and they, too, were toasty brown!
Then all that was left was the assembly. We added vegan mayo to each slice of bun, then the burger, then the bacon – two slices apiece – and then a slice of tomato, lettuce, and onion. I added ketchup to my burger; LeeLee added mustard as well. And then we dug in!
I do love a BLT burger. The freshness of the romaine melds so nicely with the meaty texture of the veggie burger, and the bacon gives the whole thing a crunch that ties the sandwich together. Nothing screams summer quite like it! And the asparagus and baked beans were very worthy accompaniments, that’s for sure.
After dinner, we enjoyed a frosty beverage and sat outside on the patio, listening to my beloved Widespread Panic play live from Colorado. A cookout, a backyard Panic show – I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday evening!
:)