Guest Post: How to Host a Vegetarian BBQ

So, you want to host a BBQ party in your backyard but are worried about how your vegan-friendly friends will feel surrounded by so many ribs, steaks, and chicken?

Then, I am going to show you how to host a vegetarian BBQ, so everyone will have a good time and enjoy the food.

How to Host a Vegetarian BBQ
Different cultures have different meanings for BBQ but the concept stays the same: Barbecues are all about spending a good time with your friends and family while you are preparing fresh food outside your house, usually on the back yard.

With so many people coming at your BBQ, there will be a huge diversity of preferences and sometimes it can be hard to satisfy everyone.

Barbecue parties are usually full of meat products, burgers, hot dogs etc. and meat lovers will enjoy them to the max.

But, what about the vegetarians? If you have a few vegetarians friends that are coming to your BBQ, then don't worry. You can actually host a barbecue for vegetarians.

Apart from the traditional BBQ menu, you can serve up a few vegan-friendly options for your vegetarian's friends, so they don't feel bad and enjoy the food.

If you stick to the traditional BBQ menu, then I would start by thinking about a couple of items that can be easily transformed into vegan-friendly. I know it may sound a bit weird, but you would be surprised about how many items from classic BBQ menu can be transformed into vegan-friendly.

The key to a great party food is to prepare a variety of foods with small bites so people can try many things. Luckily for you, vegetables are very easy to cook and to combine them with other foods is even easier. Here are some vegetables which taste amazing when you grill them and are a perfect option for a vegan-friendly BBQ party: Very healthy vegetable. It is recommended to be cooked on High heat for about 10 minutes, by turning one; about three to four minutes per side.

1. Asparagus: Very healthy vegetable. It is recommended to be cooked on High heat for about 10 minutes, by turning one; about three to four minutes per side.

2. Broccoli or Cauliflower: Both these vegetables are recommended to be cooked on Low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your preferences. Just break them into smaller pieces, rub them with oil and put them on the grill. After they are cooked, you can add curry powder to cauliflower and just a bit olive oil and lemon juice to the broccoli.

3. Carrots: Just wash and peel them, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and place them directly on the grill grate for about 20 minutes on low heat.

4. Onions: Onions are very common when it comes to grill cooking. Cut them into 1/4 thick pieces and grill them for about 6-10 minutes on Medium Heat.

5. Potatoes: Potatoes are recommended to be grilled after they are boiled for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes of boiling, drain them and cut into slices, rub with oil, salt, pepper and grill over medium heat for about 15 minutes. If you want to go for a whole potatoes grilling, wrap them in foil and place directly on the grate of the grill for about 30-40 minutes, based on your preferences.

If you already know how to grill vegetables, you can try the combinations of spicy dishes with cooling sides such as:

• Cold cucumber slices with unflavored yogurt, garlic powder, vinegar, salt, and pepper. 
• Sliced squash and zucchini, placed in a foil packet with vegetable seasoning and olive oil. Grill them for about 15 minutes.
• Smoked peppers, sliced into strips and pack in garlic infused olive oil.
• Wilt spinach in the side burner if the grill with a little balsamic vinegar and garlic/herb seasoning.

What about sandwiches? They are a BBQ classic food and are very easy to prepare and very delicious. Here it is a quick and easy recipe for vegetarian BBQ sandwiches:

Vegetarian BBQ Sandwiches & Coleslaw
Ingredients

Coleslaw

• 1/2 head purple cabbage
• 2 carrots
• 2 cups vegan mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. of white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. of celery seed

Sandwiches

• 1/2 head purple cabbage
• 2 carrots
• BBQ Sauce
• Whole-Grain or Gluten-Free Sandwich Buns

Directions

1. Grate carrots using a food processor and slice cabbage into thin ribbons. 
2. For the coleslaw preparation, combine half cabbage or carrot mixture with other slaw ingredients, mix well and refrigerate for a few minutes before serving. 
3. For BBQ, warm BBQ sauce and then stir the remaining cabbage or carrot mixture and cook until the vegetables become softener. 
4. Serve it on toasted buns and add additional BBQ sauce as desired.

This is just a quick and easy example recipe of a Vegetarian sandwich. There are a lot of other combinations and sandwich recipes for you to try.

I hope you liked these examples and have finally completed planning your next BBQ party with a few vegetarian options. If you want, you can go and host a full vegetarian BBQ but not everyone is a fan of eating only grilled vegetables or other vegan-friendly dishes. So, it is better to prepare traditional BBQ foods for meat lovers and a few quick and easy vegan-friendly option for your vegetarian friends.

Just remember to be creative and you can transform almost every classic BBQ item to a vegan-friendly with just a few resources and a few minutes. You will be surprised by the end results and your vegetarian BBQ cooking will make even the meat-eaters in the group impressed.

Author Bio: Kendrick Kotter is a food lover and a grilling/outdoor cooking passionate. He loves to share his knowledge and passion about cooking with the world at FuriousGrill.