vegetarian barbecue | offmotorway

This weekend saw us celebrating possibly the last barbecue of the season. It was a lovely warm day and evening and so, on the spur of the moment we decided we had the ingredients and that we’d give it a go!

al fresco dining is more fun!

Now, most people I know are horrified at the thought of having to invite a vegetarian to their bbq So used are they to the event being a meat-fest with a little coleslaw on the side, that they can’t imagine what they’ll cook.

But a couple of bbq stories first. Number one: I attended a barbecue once where the hosts scrupulously bought veggie burgers for us, then cooked them and dished them first so that they wouldn’t be ‘contaminated’ before moving on to the frozen meat burgers they’d bought. It was only later as they cleared up that they realised the ‘meat’ burgers had in fact been Linda McCartney veggie burgers and no one had noticed!

Number two: I was part of a large bbq party and brought along a portable bbq for the veggie stuff, which we duly lit in a quiet corner. But our selection of flame roast veggies was so popular with the meat eaters that we had to start hiding the stuff away to save any for ourselves!

Anyway, on to last night and what cornucopia did we manage to rustle up? Here’s the list, and I urge everyone to add the veggie options to their bbq’s to liven things up a little.

The vegetarian bbq

1. Veggie burgers from Dragonfly
2. Char-grilled haloumi. Haloumi is perfect cooked on the barbie, salty, chewy and moist.
3. Sweet potato wedges. Slice sweet potato into wedges, brush with olive oil. Cook on the bbq for around 10 mins wrapped in tin foil, then place directly on the grill to brown.
4. Corn on the cob. Leave the corn wrapped in their leaves, soak in water for about 10 mins, then pop directly on the grill. Cook for around 20 mins, then enjoy getting the burnt leaves all over the garden as you peel them off!
5. Char-grilled onion. Leave the onions whole in their skins and cook as corn above.
6. Grilled potatoes. We had some whole boiled potatoes left over and they were perfect just popped straight on to the grill for a few minutes while they brown.

Serve everything with some sweetcorn and chilli relish or your favourite bbq sauce and a nice green salad. Does life get any better?