The weather is getting more and more beautiful each day and I can already smell the summer. So it's about time I make a special vegan BBQ post! The options for vegan barbecue are basically endless. Experiment with different store-bought and home-made marinades, dry and wet. Try different herbs, spices and liquids. It's always a good idea to add some liquid smoke, your favorite BBQ-sauce or some fruit juice to your home-made marinade. I hope you get some inspiration from this post and let the photos speak for themselves!
Spicy tofu cubes with dry marinade
- 250 g firm tofu
- your favorite dry marinade (I used a mix with kaffir lime and ginger)
For simple and juicy salads to add to a burger or a hot-dog, I offer you creamy sauerkraut and corn salad and easy coleslaw. The sauerkraut salad was my big favorite. It suited so well with the crispy veggie sausages in a hot-dog. I balanced the sauerkraut's acidity with some brown sugar.
Creamy sauerkraut and corn salad
- 300 g canned corn
- 300-400 g sauerkraut
- 5 tbsp vegan mayo or ranch dressing
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tsp brown sugar
Drain the corn and mix well with other ingredients.
Easy coleslaw
- 0,5 kg carrots
- 300 g head cabbage
- 200 g vegan mayo
- 1 tsp mild mustard
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Wash and grate the carrots (I didn't peel them). Cut the cabbage into thin strips. Mix the grated carrots with chopped cabbage, add the other ingredients and mix well.
Vegan hot-dog
- a pack of vegan hot-dog sausages (I had 5 in one pack)
- about 5 hot-dog buns
- a couple of tbsp of sauerkraut and corn salad
- quality ketchup, mild mustard or ranch dressing
Cut the sausages in half lengthwise and grill on both sides until crispy. Put the grilled sausages in the hot-dog buns and add the other ingredients.
Black bean burgers
- 800 g canned black beans
- 4 tbsp whole-wheat flour
- 2 tbsp flax meal (can be replaced with adding the same amount of whole-wheat flour)
- 1-2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp of grill spice mix or salt
- burger buns
- sauerkraut and corn salad or coleslaw
- your favorite fillings (onions, pickles, tomatoes and hummus for example)
Drain and rinse the beans and add to a bowl along with flour, flax meal, ground cumin, curry powder and grill spice mix or salt. Mix well using your hands. Crush the beans a little so the patty dough will be smoother. Form the patties and grill until the patties will get grill marks on both sides. Spread some hummus on the burger buns and add the patties, corn and sauerkraut salad or coleslaw and your favorite fillings.
I also decided to grill some soy. I just bought the dry soy cutlets, boiled them and then marinated in home-made sauce.
Grilled soy
- 125 g dried soy cutlets
- a head of garlic
- 0,5 l tomato juice
- 1 tbsp of grill spice mix or some salt
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Boil the dried cutlets in a plenty of water until soft (about 10 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze out the extra water from each cutlet before marinating. Mix tomato juice with crushed garlic, grill spice mix or some salt, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Add the cutlets to the marinade and mix well. Leave in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour or best over night. Grill the marinated cutlets.
I also grilled some veggies like eggplant, zucchini and corn. I cut the eggplant into thin slices, rubbed with some salt and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Then while grilling the slices, I drizzled them with some soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. You can spread some hummus on the grilled eggplants and make cute little eggplant rolls :)
I poured some soy sauce and balsamic vinegar on zucchini rings and let it marinate for about and hour. Then grilled them. I also rubbed the corn with some oil and salt before grilling.
I also decided to make a HUGE tasty salad with million delicious ingredients. It came out more like a snack platter than a salad, because it was so profuse.
Rich salad/snack platter
- some lettuce
- a couple of handfuls of arugula
- 250 g firm tofu
- 2-3 tsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- about 100 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- about 100 g black pitted olives
- one middle-sized can of canned artichoke hearts
- 2 red onions (slice them and mix with some soy sauce and balsamic vinegar)
- 2 tbsp vegan ranch dressing or mayo
- 2 tbsp of oil
Heat up some oil on a pan and add crumbled tofu along with curry powder and soy sauce. Fry for a couple of minutes and remove the heat. Grill the onion slices and drained artichoke hearts. Now add all the ingredients on a platter and drizzle some ranch dressing or mayo on top.
Grilled marinated mushrooms
- 250 g champignons
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp brown sugar
Brush the champignons from any dirt and add them to a bowl along with the other ingredients. Mix well and let it marinate in a fridge for at least an hour or over night. Wrap the marinated champignons in a foil and grill for some time.
And now to the SWEET part. Oh my, those grilled peaches were amazing. I drool every time when I look at those pics. Perfectly delightful and sweet ending to this marvelous vegan feast.
Grilled peaches with whipped cream and melted dark chocolate
- 2 big cans of canned peaches (one can is about 800 g)
- vegan whipped cream for serving (I made it myself using chilled coconut cream)
- 100 g dark vegan chocolate
- (crushed nuts for serving)
Drain the peaches reserving about a half a can of the liquid. Grill the peach halves on both sides. Melt the chocolate and mix in the reserved peach liquid. Put about 2-3 peach halves on a plate, add some whipped cream and drizzle with melted chocolate and crushed nuts if you want. It is best to use a fork while eating them!
Enjoy! :)
Sandra