Sunday Cookout: BBQ Vegan Shrimp With Broccoli Rabe and Roasted Butternut Squash.

This was a menu of firsts! Tonight marked the first time I’d ever used our barbecue rosemary stalks for anything as hefty as vegan shrimp; the first time I’d ever grilled broccoli rabe; and the first time I’d ever peeled and diced a butternut squash for roasting.

Well, I don’t like to boast, but: The first time was a charm all the way around!

Before lighting up the grill, I grabbed a butternut squash from my winter-squash stash (because this time of year, I have plenty of varieties to choose from!) and brought it over to the cutting board, where I gave it a proper side-eye and talking-to before I began to attempt to peel it. The skin of a butternut is so incredibly tough that quite often I’ve started to peel the squash and within minutes threw in the towel, opting instead to simply slice it in half and roast it that way. But tonight, I was determined, and with a very sharp paring knife I made short work of the peeling job!

All that was left after that was to slice the squash up, dice it into chunks, and then toss the diced squash with some olive oil and a generous amount of cherry pepper-cinnamon spice from our friends at Rosetta’s Farm Spices. Then I spread the butternut out on a baking sheet, placed it in the oven, and cooked it for an hour at 400 degrees.

As the squash baked, I got to work on the shrimp. I pulled two of my strongest rosemary stalks from the plant outside, stripped the stalks of leaves (which I saved for use later this week!) and then laced about eight thawed vegan shrimp (from Sophie’s Kitchen) onto each stalk. Much more than that and the stalk began to sag and carry on, making a huge mess.

When the shrimp went on the grill I painted each stalk with barbecue sauce and let them cook for about 10-15 minutes, turning once throughout!

Finally came the broccoli rabe – an impulse buy at the farmer’s market yesterday, but one I was incredibly happy to have on hand tonight! I sprayed the newly washed rabe with cooking spray, then added just a dusting of garlic powder. Then I placed them straight onto the grill grate for about 10 minutes in all, turning once throughout! By the time they were ready, the tips were blackened but the stalks were so very tender. I topped the serving plate with a little cheddar cheese, but you can certainly feel free to omit that or use a vegan version!

When everything came off the grill, I had only about a minute left in the butternut squash’s cooking time, which was a marvel of epic proportions. We got everything arranged buffet-style on the table and then sat down at our TV trays to eat – a rarity for Sunday nights, admittedly, but we were both excited to catch up on the morning news shows, since we left the house to go apple-picking before they’d even come on!

This doesn’t happen all the time in our house, but with nearly every bite tonight one of us would say “Wow,” or “I love this,” or “Have you tasted the spice in that yet?” Everything turned out just wonderfully, if I do say so myself. The barbecue shrimp were tender and spicy, the tang of the sauce melding quite nicely with the vegan shrimp itself. The broccoli rabe was crunchy yet tender, pungent yet mild. And the butternut squash! They were almost like candy, they were so full of flavor, and the dusting of pepper-and-cinnamon certainly helped them rise to the next level. Yum!

There’s not a single molecule left of anything for tomorrow’s lunch, but that’s OK. Tonight was worth it!

:)