With Memorial Day behind us, grilling season has now arrived. Cue the charred burgers, all-American hot dogs, baby back ribs and tender lamb kebabs.
While your lineup is classic and guaranteed to please a crowd, it’s inevitable that you will face this scenario.
Imagine this: it’s a beautiful sunny day, the clouds are drifting by and you’re soaking up some rays as you tend to the grill. You can hear laughter and splashes around you as you flip dogs, carefully place a square of cheese on a burger and lather the last layer of barbecue sauce on your ribs while absent-mindedly participating in a conversation with someone you just met and can barely remember their name. Finally, grilling is done and you invite everyone to dig in. Then someone asks, “Are there any vegetarian options?”
It’s a question that every party host dreads, as you intrinsically direct them to the plethora of side dishes that don’t have meat and you see them just slap them onto their paper plate in disappointment. As someone who was that vegetarian for most of my life, trust me when I say that we dread asking the question just as much as you dread hearing it.
But this year, be proactive and come prepared instead for that inevitable question you’ll hear from your son’s new girlfriend or the neighbor’s kid. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll also convince some meat eaters that life on the veggie side is not as bad as– and could sometimes be better than – the meat-eating way.
Friday, June 5, is National Veggie Burger Day, so take the opportunity to try something new. Who knows, you may just like it!
Gone are the days of bad vegetarian meat substitutes. Trust me, I lived through it. Today, you’ll find options that are almost scarily convincing as a regular meat product.
For your days behind the grill, look for pre-made options at the grocery store in both the frozen and refrigerated sections. Brands like Beyond Meat, Impossible, Gardein and Chunk offer a plethora of options from burger patties, hot dogs, sausages, and even ground “beef” and steaks that you can easily slap on the grill and cook like any other meat. Okay, maybe not just like any other meat, but you get what I’m saying. Read the package for cooking instructions and I promise it will be simpler than you think.
For a more classic take, you can also opt for pre-made veggie burgers made from beans, legumes, corn, sweet potatoes, quinoa and any other so-called rabbit food that is sure to please a vegetarian. Often you’ll find these in the frozen section with all of the other vegetarian options.
But if you’re up for something a little more hands-on, take a stab at making a homemade version instead.
Source: LI Press
