Independence Day celebrations are just around the corner. So far, every cookout ideas I come across implied meat, sausage, and hickory sauce. I have many vegetarian friends.
Every party always includes both meat-lover options and side dishes reserved for the veggies. I surveyed all the crowd pleasure ideas available. Here are 5 vegetarian cookout recipes that will add a tasty twist to your feast.
1. Black Bean Burgers
What you need:
- 1/3 cup bulgur wheat
- 2/3 cup boiling water
- 15-ounce can of black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup plain bread crumbs
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
What you do:
1. First, pour the boiling water over the bulgur wheat put in a bowl. Let aside for 15 minutes.
2. In a food processor, combine half the beans with the onion, egg, breadcrumbs, barbecue sauce, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Mash the rest of the beans with a fork. Mix everything. Form 4 patties with the mixture, cover, and let rest.
3. Place the patties on a preheated barbecue. Cook on high heat for about 8-10 minutes on each side until brown and crispy on the outside.
4. Serve with toasted buns, extra barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and season to taste.
What you get:
4 servings of a classic, classic barbecue-flavored burger that please all the veggies in the house.
2. Grilled Stuffed Peppers
What you need:
- 4 large red bell peppers
Filling
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 zucchini, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 lemon for juice and zest
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
What you do:
1. Preheat the grill to medium
2. Make the filling by heating the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, zucchini, salt, and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin, chickpeas and cook while stirring for another minute. Remove and let cool for a while.
3. Mix the zucchini and chickpea mixture in a bowl with the rice, lemon, mint, and cheese.
4. Carefully slice off the tops of the peppers, empty them and stuff with the mixture. Replace and hold the tops with toothpicks.
5. Grill the peppers covered, turning them regularly for about 20-30 minutes. Serve immediately.
What you get:
4 servings of a tasty juicy dish that everyone, meat lovers and vegetarians would enjoy.
3. Tofu Kebab Wraps
What you need:
Peanut sauce
- ¾ cup smooth peanut butter
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- Hot water
- 1 lime juice
- 1 finely grounded garlic glove
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons chili paste
- 2 packages extra firm tofu
Marinade
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice wine or white wine
To serve
- Lettuce leaves
- Red and orange bell pepper strips
- Cucumber strips
- Whole basil leaves
What you do:
1. Slice the tofu into thin slabs and pat dry.
2. For the marinade, combine the soy sauce, oil, and wine in a bowl. Turn the tofu in to coat. Marinate for about 4 hours.
3. For the peanut sauce, stir the peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce, sugar, water, lime, chili, garlic, and ginger in a bowl. Add water reasonably to achieve the desired consistency.
4. Place the tofu covered with peanut butter on grill racks. Cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes per side, until golden brown.
5. Cut into strips and serve on a bed of lettuce leaves with the vegetable strips.
What you get:
4 servings of tofu wraps for a great addition to the barbecue. Check out these 53 healthy and flavorful other ways to enjoy tofu in other circumstances.
4. Coleslaw
What you need:
- 1 large head green cabbage
- 2 carrots finely julienned
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
What you do:
1. Put the cabbage and carrots in a large salad bowl.
2. Put the remaining ingredients in another bowl and whisk together until combined. Add salt and pepper
3. Pour it over the cabbage mixture, toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately.
What you get:
Enough for 12 people. It does not require any cooking time, making it perfect for receiving all guests as they arrive. There are many different recipes, some pretending to be true to KFC‘s.
5. Potato and Egg Salad
What you need:
- 4 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 4 scallions, finely chopped
- 11/4 cups mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
What you do:
1. Boil lightly salted water in a bowl, add potatoes, and cook until tender. Drain and let cool to ambient temperature.
2. Cut into small pieces. Add eggs and celery.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Pour over potato mixture and combine.
4. Put the salad in a refrigerator for a while before serving
What you get:
Serving for 10 of a dish everybody will love and that will go great with your grilled meat. If you want the old fashioned recipe, check here.
Here is our selection of vegetarian cookout recipes for a great July 4th feast. What do you think? What other food ideas would you add? Leave us a comment in the box below!