Grilled Vegetable Skewers with Umami Sauce

Why This Works

A rainbow of high-antioxidant vegetables — peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, shallots — browned hard on the grill and finished with a warm, savory umami sauce. Served over a pilaf of hot whole grains and beans with a crisp green salad, it becomes a complete plant-forward main.

Ingredients

1 large yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) pieces
2 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks
8 oz (225 g) fresh button or cremini mushrooms (halved if large)
6 shallots, halved lengthwise
16 large cherry or Campari tomatoes
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp ground pippali (or black pepper)
½ cup (120 ml) umami sauce, warmed (the book's "Umami Sauce 2.0" sub-recipe; any deeply savory mushroom-soy style sauce works)

Method

Thread the bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, shallots, and tomatoes onto 8 skewers (soak wooden skewers 1 hour first). Arrange in a shallow dish and sprinkle with the onion powder and pippali. Preheat the grill.
Grill over the heat, turning once halfway, until browned and tender — 10-15 minutes total.
Platter the skewers and drizzle with the warmed umami sauce. Serve hot.

Notes

Oven variation: roast at 425°F (220°C) on parchment for 20-30 minutes, turning once.
Make it a meal: serve over a grain-and-bean pilaf — quinoa or pearl couscous plus a good heirloom bean — to carry the protein and fiber, with a crisp green salad alongside.
Make the umami sauce ahead; the skewers come off the grill fast.