Catering for Vegetarians at Barbecues

Say the term ‘barbecue’ and a lot people immediately consider cheese burgers and sausages.

Having said that, barbecues are perfect for cooking lots of foods and therefore it’s very easy to plan for
vegetarians at a barbecue.

So why do people choose to be vegetarian?

There are many explanations why people prefer to be vegetarian.

It may be as a result of religious values, thoughts about animal well being, wellness factors or simply
personal preference.

Some people are much stricter vegetarians than others, as an example some vegetarians might not be extremely worried if they unintentionally have a modest little bit of meat nevertheless for other people it's rather a very unsettling experience.

Some non-meat eaters don’t mind eating food that’s recently been prepared at the same time as meat while others wouldn't wish to eat food that’s been touched with the same utensils employed for cooking meat.

When catering regarding non-meat eaters, it’s far better to be aware and assume that all of your vegetarian
friends would be the strict sort.

Exactly what do non-meat eaters eat?
Vegetarians customarily don’t consume meat or fish yet do consume animal by-products for example dairy, cheese and eggs.
Vegans are much stricter compared to vegetarians and don’t consume meat or fish or even any animal products.
How will i maintain vegetarians at my barbecue happy?
There are just a couple important things to remember while providing for vegetarians at a barbecue:
• Find out how many guests in the bbq are vegetarian.

If you assume that there will only end up being one or two but then you discover that half your guests will be
vegetarians you'll probably have a lot of meat left over and several hungry visitors.

• Designate different areas of the bbq for the meat and non-meat dishes.

If you are catering for big amounts and have the space, it could be sensible to have two totally individual
barbeques to keep the meat and vegetarian dishes separate.

• Remember to utilize differen utensils for handling the meat items and vegetarian products.
• Inevitably while offering vegetarian dishes, your carnivores might help themselves to them as well.

Make more than you need to ensure that there is plenty to go round
• If putting burgers and also sausages onto plates or platters for people to help independently, make it clear
those which are vegetarian.
Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference, so consider making labels or perhaps have various coloured
dishes to differentiate between the two.
What to cook for vegetarians
Try looking in most supermarkets and you’ll discover a wide range of vegetarian options to conventional meat products for instance vegetarian burgers and sausages made from soya protein or tofu.
Nonetheless there’s many different vegetarian dishes that work very well on a bbq consider bit more daring and check out a few of the following suggestions.
Whether you provide these for your vegetarian visitors or perhaps to offer the meat eaters some selection, they are certain to be well-liked selections:
Kebabs
Make vegetarian kebabs by threading bite-sized vegetables such as pieces of pepper, courgette, red onion and also mushroom on to a wooden skewer (remember to saturate the skewers in wate for 30 minutes first so that they don’t catch light).
You can include extra interest along with protein with the addition of squares of halloumi cheese.
As opposed to the majority of cheese, halloumi doesn’t melt when grilled which makes it perfect for barbecues.
Burgers with a difference
Cook falafel on the bbq (you may make your own, or buy it from your supermarket) and stuff into pitta breads along with salad and chilli-sauce to make a hot and spicy option to burgers.
Grill big flat mushrooms and also place them in a burger bun instead of a beef burger. They are yummy with a
slice of blue cheese or perhaps a drizzle of pesto dressing on top.
Salads
Salads will be an obvious choice when providing for vegetarians however don’t simply stick to green salads and potato salads.
You can create a tasty cold pasta salad by draining freshly cooked pasta and running it under cold water to
cool.
Then mix with olives, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, rocket plus a drizzle of olive oil.
Potatoes and squash
Cut butternut squash or sweet potatoes into large wedges, toss in olive oil and then grill on the barbecue
until tender.
These are scrumptious offered with salad and mayonnaise, or spice them up with chilli flakes or salsa.
Alternatively, cook entire sweet potatoes on the barbecue by covering them in tinfoil and place amongst the hot coals for approximately 40 minutes.
Sweet potatoes cook faster than usual cooked potatoes and so they make the perfect choice for barbecues.
Once cooked top with flavoured butters or cheese.
Corn on the cob

Parboil corn on the cob for five minutes, drain and then place in individual tinfoil parcels along with a knob
of butter. Cook within the barbecue until tender.
You can add interest by using flavoured butters for example chilli, garlic or herb butter.
When you start experimenting with vegetarian foods you are going to quickly find that there are endless
combinations that work well on the barbeque.
Enjoy yourself experimenting and your vegetarian friends are bound to be impressed.