One of the things many vegetarians dread almost as much as the holidays when it comes to food are summer cookouts. When most people think of cookouts they picture hot dogs and hamburgers flaming on the grill, baked beans laden with molasses and bacon and of course the crème de la crème: steaks.
For vegetarians, it tends to be a time of explaining why we don’t eat such things and the pitiful looks from friends and family alike as we munch on carrot and celery sticks.
It doesn’t have to be this way! Today’s vegetarian fare includes some great grill able selections such as garden burgers and tofu dogs. We can have as great a selection as our meat-eating friends. All it takes is a little advance planning.
Coolers are your friend!
Take one with you to the cookout. I have yet to meet the host that is offended that you brought along your own garden burger or tofu dog. It’s second nature to many of us now. Ask that a corner of the grill be kept meet free. As our food is already cooked, it just needs to be heated.
Many longtime vegetarians I know ask to hit the grill first. They cook up their selections in a fraction of the cooking time and then let the meat-eaters take over. The host generally provides buns and condiments.
Another thing that is really tasty and gets everyone going is to take along a little appetizer.
Cup up 2 cups of the following into chunks for every 4 people:
Vidalia onions
Green, red and yellow bell peppers
Summer squash
Cherry tomatoes (leave whole)
Take wooden skewers and place vegetable on it, alternating.
Place skewers into a sealable container and cover with raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing. Before the meat is grilled, place the skewers on the grill, 2 minutes to a side. Alternately, you can simply mix all ingredients into a sealable container covered with the marinade. Serve as a cold salad.
For those days when there is no grilling, you still aren’t left out. While everyone else is dining on cold fried chicken, pull out these sandwiches, which are very easy to make:
Take 2 packages of cream cheese and blend with 1 cup of sour cream. Add to the mixture 1 small can of green chilies (drained), 1 small can of chopped black olives (drained). 2 tablespoons of your favourite salsa, 1 cup of pepper jack cheese and 1 cup of shredded lettuce variety of your choice. Blend all of these together well and spread onto a large tortilla shell. Roll tightly and pin with a toothpick. Slice into halves. Makes 6 sandwiches.
You can, of course, use the dairy free versions of the cheeses and sour cream. Store this in the cooler until lunchtime and you may be forced to share!
Salads are generally vegetarian friendly. But I like to take one that is a sure-fire crowd pleaser:
Break up two blocks of Oriental noodles. Melt ¾ stick of butter (margarine) and sauté the noodles until a light golden brown.
Make a marinade of ¾ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup of packed brown sugar and 1 package of the seasoning mix from the oriental noodles. Whisk together. Get 2 16ounce packages of prepared coleslaw mix. Mix everything together and refrigerate overnight. The longer it sits the better it is. This serves between 6 and 8 people.
Desserts can be tricky so bring your own and bring enough to share. Introduce your friends to a new treat and they just might stop looking at you funny.
This one is easy and so good you may win a few converts! You can of course substitute non-dairy products for the dairy ingredients.
Blend together 1 package of cream cheese, a stick of butter, a teaspoon of vanilla and a package of your favourite chocolate cake mix. Mix well and then refrigerate for 2 hours to allow it time to firm up. Remove it from the fridge and roll the batter into walnut sized balls. Roll in powdered sugar and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Most importantly, enjoy yourself during the summer. Surround yourself with friends and family and have fun.
