Vegetarian Cookout Recipes

If you're a vegetarian, or have vegetarian guests coming to a cookout you're hosting, chances are you're looking for some new vegetarian cookout ideas. Backyard barbecues aren't exactly known for being vegetarian-friendly; typically, hamburgers, steaks, hot dogs and chicken abound, while you end up filling up on potato chips. It's easy to put a delicious, healthy vegetarian cookout menu together - here are a few of our favorite meal ideas that even meat eaters will love.

Portobello mushroom steaks - These are perfect to build the entire meal around; they're meaty, satisfying, and delicious. Purchase enough large Portobello mushroom caps for each vegetarian guest to have 1-2 each. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel or cloth and use a small paring knife to cut off the stem and, if desired, remove the gills. Then, place the mushrooms in a shallow baking dish filled up with just enough marinade to cover them halfway.

Here's a great marinade based on making 4 mushroom steaks: Use 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp. dried oregano, 1 tsp. dried basil, and salt & pepper to taste. Whisk the ingredients together and pour over the mushrooms; let them stand about 15 minutes before grilling, turning twice.

These will only take about 4-8 minutes to cook on the grill. Serve them up on buns with burger trimmings, or alone with steak sauce.

Veggie burgers - If you're not so into mushrooms, veggie burgers are a good substitute. You can find them in the freezer section of natural food stores and many major grocery chains. There are a wide variety of flavors available, from black bean to cheddar. If your guests are vegan (meaning they don't eat any animal products at all), make sure to choose a dairy-free variety. Here's a great review of vegan veggie burgers that can help you make your choice. Just grill them according to the package instructions, which vary by brand.

Marinated veggie kabobs - Now that summer's almost here, we've got an abundance of fresh produce to choose from. Bell peppers, roma tomatoes, white button mushrooms, red onions, zucchini, squash, and pineapple chunks are just a few ideas. Cut everything (except the roma tomatoes and mushrooms) into 2Gǥ chunks; toss them in a bowl with marinade. As marinade you could use Italian dressing, teriyaki sauce, red wine vinegar and olive oil, or the same marinade mentioned above for the Portobello steaks. Once they're covered, thread them onto skewers and place on the grill over medium-hot heat. They'll be ready in about 20 minutes; turn over occasionally.

Pasta salad - There are literally thousands of great vegetarian pasta salad recipes out there on the internet. Based on what you prefer - say, sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan or cucumbers and feta - you can find the perfect pasta salad recipe just by doing a simple internet search. You can also browse recipe databases for ideas, such as Recipezaar.com or VegWeb.com. Here are a few great ones:

Greek Pasta Salad
Jamie Oliver's Best Pasta Salad
Mediterranean Pasta Salad (Vegan)
Orechiette and Vegetable Pasta Salad (Vegan)

Brownies - Nobody can pass up brownies, vegetarian or not. They're the perfect finishing touch for a great vegetarian barbecue, and can easily be made vegan with a few tweaks. Here are some really good recipes for moist, delicious brownies:

Triple Fudge Brownies
Super Peanut Butter Filled Brownies
Mocha Brownies with Coffee Frosting
Vegan Brownies

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