When planning a cook-out that includes vegan or vegetarian guests, it is hard to find satisfying grilled dishes beyond the usual grilled vegetables or soy sausages. That's why we were glad to see a full spread of sophisticated and interesting vegan grilling recipes in the latest issue of Food & Wine.
The great thing about these recipes is that they aren't veganized versions of meat-heavy barbecue fare, but stand-alone meatless dishes developed by chefs. A few involve grilling ingredients you wouldn't normally put on the fire, like grapes and radicchio. (The former is for the Celery, Grilled Grape and Mushroom Salad and the latter is part of the Grilled Polenta and Radicchio with Balsamic Drizzle.) One especially intriguing recipe is the Grilled Corn and Tomato with Vegan Tonnato Sauce, which uses a puree of wakame to suggest the flavor of tuna.
Whether you are avoiding meat or just want to try a few innovative grilled dishes, these recipes will definitely bring something different to your next cook-out.
• Read the story & get the recipes: The Virtues of Vegan Grilling
What do you usually grill for vegan or vegetarian guests?
More Meat-free Grilling Ideas:
• Vegetarian Skewers Five Ways
• Recipe: Best-Ever Veggie Burgers from Northstar Cafe
• Vegetarian Cookout? Try Halloumi!
• Great Recipes for an (Almost, Maybe) Vegetarian BBQ?
(Image: Flickr member mccun934 licensed under Creative Commons)
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The really bad thing about grilling vegetables is worrying about if the grill is clean, if separate utensils are being used, etc. It stresses me out too much if I'm not the host/cook, which is too bad since grilled veggies are delicious.
betsy, get a grill basket, it will change your life. I just toss whatever veggies I'm craving in the basket and let them cook. It's a lot less work than making skewers and cleaning the grill.
I tried the halloumi cheese but it was too meat like for me and seriously grossed me out. Once every summer I do veggie burgers (because they can turn in to quite an operation) and even my meat hungry family LOVES them.
I, even as a non-vegan, love the vegan black bean burgers form the Veganomicon book. I think that they're nice because they're nearly identical to the food the omnivores are eating (at a burger kind of barbecue) so there's not a lot of extra fuss or singling anyone out with a very different type of meal.
I actually live in a building in DC that doesn't allow grills so a grill basket won't help me out. If I'm the host/griller, I'm not worrying about the contamination on my own grill. However, for others this is a good suggestion. As a guest, I wouldn't bring one to a party though. :)