Whether for moral reasons or health reasons, more and more people are going the vegan route in their diets. Though, to be sure, veganism is much more of a lifestyle than simple dietary choices. One hang-up a lot of people have when considering vegan food is that they believe it doesn’t have as much flavor and that the range of recipe ideas is limited to tofu and, well, sauced tofu.
This isn’t the case at all. As you will read below, there are some incredibly delicious dishes that anyone can easily make out on their BBQ this summer, all of which are 100% vegan.
For these recipes, it is assumed you have a grill, proper utensils, and other essential BBQ items. So, without further ado, let’s get into some BBQ recipes for vegans.
5 Super Easy and Delicious Vegan Grilled Dishes
Eggplant Marinara
What you’ll need:
- One large eggplant
- One large can tomato sauce/puree
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (any type)
- 1/2 stick vegan butter (margarine)
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Wood chips
Here’s what you do:
Slice your eggplant into 1-inch discs and season them with salt, allowing it to sit for 10 minutes to draw out the moisture. In a separate bowl, mix your tomato sauce, ½ of the garlic powder, your Italian seasoning, and sugar, and let sit. Next, smear about ¼ of the sauce in a square baking dish, then line with your eggplant. Now, dump and spread the rest of the sauce on top.
In a separate bowl, mix your bread crumbs and butter and garlic powder up until it makes a crumbly mixture, and sprinkle it on top.
Finally, take the entire dish to a grill, with some wood smoking chips inside, and cook on offset heat for an hour to an hour and 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the eggplant is 140 degrees.
Cauliflower Hot Wings
What you’ll need:
- One head of cauliflower
- Good quality olive oil
- Your favorite hot sauce
Here’s what you do:
This is about as simple as it can get. Cut your cauliflower close to the stem, so that the individual pieces resemble lollipops or little chicken drumsticks. Next, place about ½ cup of good quality olive oil in a bowl and heat up your grill. After your grill’s nice and hot, dip the cauliflower in the olive oil and place them straight on the grill racks, over medium heat.
Let them cook for about 3 minutes on each side, and then start turning them every 30 seconds or so, until they’re tender inside yet develop good color outside. Next, remove them from direct heat, brush them with your favorite hot sauce, and let it set up for 3 minutes or so with the lid closed.
Smoked Kebabs
What you’ll need:
- Pearl onions
- Baby new potatoes
- Green bell pepper
- Mushrooms
- Squash (any type you’d like)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Wood chips
- BBQ skewers
Here’s what you do:
Prep the veggies: Peel the onions, cut the peppers and squash into squares, wash the potatoes and mushrooms. Next, go heat up your grill to medium-low heat, and start off some wood chips so it’s nice and smoky. After that, arrange the veggies on the skewers however you’d like, then season to taste.
Place your skewers in the smoke, close the lid, and just leave things alone on offset heat for one hour. Give the veggies time to get soft and soak up that smoke flavor.
Garlic Bread
What you’ll need:
- A favorite loaf of fresh, unsliced bread
- 1/4 cup minced garlic
- 1 cup vegan butter (margarine)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup good olive oil
Here’s what you do:
Take a medium-sized saucepan to the grill and let it get hot. Melt your butter, add in your olive oil, and very lightly and slowly cook the garlic until it’s ever so slightly golden brown. Remove from the heat and add in your Italian seasoning and stir.
Next, slice your bread however you’d like it, and place your bread directly on the heat, brushing it heavily with the garlic butter, and turning over and repeating every minute or so. Do this 3 or 4 times, until you have a golden-brown, heavily buttered batch of bread ready. It goes fantastic with anything else you cook.
Stuffed Bell Peppers
What you’ll need:
- 4 whole, large bell peppers (any color)
- 2 cups rice (uncooked, any type)
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup mushrooms
- ¼ cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Wood chips
Here’s what you do:
Cut the tops off your bell peppers and hollow them out. Put them in a baking dish and set aside. Next, cook your rice in the veggie stock, until partially done, about 10 minutes or so. When it’s still nice and runny, add in the sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms, and fill the peppers up about ¾ of the way.
Now, take them to a grill with wood chips over medium-low heat, and let them cook with the lid closed for one and a half hours. This creates an oven-like atmosphere that will create a delicious smoked bell pepper.
The idea behind these BBQ recipes for vegans is that they’re super simple to make. You don’t need a crazy amount of skill, just an appetite.