Fire-Roasted Veggies!

Fire-roasting your favorite veggies is a way to preserve excellent flavor. 

This is a general guide! If you have access to a grill, you can prepare a fair quantity of food in as little as 20 minutes of cooking time. You can also set your oven to broil for a similar effect, but be sure to look into variations on cooking times for different vegetable types.

Preparation: 

• Wash all veggies and coat them with a bit of oil.
  Coconut oil stands up to high heat a bit better than olive oil.
• If you're working with tomatoes, remove the stems and cut them in half.
• For peppers, you can leave the stems on and pull them free once the cooked peppers have cooled. 

Cook Time:

• Cook peppers until they blister evenly on all sides. Using tongs, turn them 1-3 times over the course of 15-30 minutes.
• Cook red tomatoes until it’s almost too hard to pluck the red ones from the grill with tongs without losing the juicy middle! Flip once.
  Green tomatoes only need to cook until grill lines are visible.
  In the oven, broil until the edges turn a bit golden brown.
  Green tomatoes cooked in this way are more crisp and retain a punchy, fruity, summer-filled flavor.

Preservation Options:

1. While they are still hot, pack them into prepared mason jars and can. Be sure to check out canning guidelines for different foods. The Oregon State University provides a great guide for tomato canning. Preservation times vary, but generally plan to use within 6-12 months.
2. Store grilled veggies in jars in the fridge for about 2 weeks. Let them cool before stowing them in the fridge.
3. Store your cooled and grilled goods in labeled freezer bags for 6-12 months!

• Mix into hummus. 
• Slice them thinly and add to salad.
• Add to cooked eggs.
• Work them into your next grilled cheese! Consider adding roasted or fresh tomatoes with greens!
• Try in veggie wraps. 

• Sauce for pasta, pizza, and lasagna (veggie based or traditional).
• Puree for epic tomato soup!
• Add to stew for a rich flavor!