Your Grilling Guide to a Meat-Free Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend is almost here, and this holiday brings the start of summer — and cookout season!

If you’re wondering what meatless dish to cook up for your guests or what to bring to a friend’s backyard bash, we have your guide packed with mouthwatering vegan options that will keep all eaters alike coming back to the grill for seconds.

Veggie Burgers: Meatless burgers are the hottest thing on the grill right now, with vegan options just as juicy and flavor-packed as their meat counterparts in stores nationwide. Try Beyond Meat’s protein-packed Beyond Burger, Gardein’s juicy Ultimate Beefless Burger.

Veggie Dogs: Just like burgers, hot dogs are a cookout favorite, and you don’t have to leave them off your meatless grill. Choose from Tofurky’s fast-cooking Jumbo Hot Dogs, Field Roast’s flavorful frankfurters, or Lightlife’s jumbo-sized Smart Dogs (Psst…did you see Lightlife is going even lighter with a 100% vegan product line?)

Cheese: What vegan cookout is complete without dairy-free cheese? There are tons of brands that offer options to top your dishes with a variety of flavors. Try Field Roast Chao Cheese in creamy original, tomato cayenne, or coconut herb; Follow Your Heart slices in provolone, America, mozzarella and more; or Daiya slices in cheddar, swiss, or provolone.

Hungry for more? Try our TryVeg.com Barbecue Seitan Sandwich and Egg-Free Potato Salad, sure to please the crowd!

Barbecue Seitan Sandwiches

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 package seitan strips or chunks cut into strips
• 1 cup vegan barbecue sauce
• ¼ cup water
• Hot sauce (optional)
• 4 hamburger buns
• Suggested toppings: lettuce, tomato, green pepper, coleslaw, red onions

Instructions

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5-8 minutes, or until the onion is very soft. Add seitan, and cook until lightly browned, stirring often.
2. Add the barbecue sauce and water and cook, stirring every 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and been absorbed by the seitan. Add hot sauce to taste if using.
3. Toast the inside of the buns to prevent them from getting soggy, then spoon the seitan mixture onto the rolls and garnish. Serve hot.

Egg-Free Potato Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds red potatoes, cut into large cubes
• ⅓ cup vegan mayonnaise (try Just Mayo, Earth Balance, or Vegenaise)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon or brown mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup celery, diced (optional)
• ¼ cup red onion, chopped (optional)
• ¼ cup parsley or chives, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, then carefully add the chopped potatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft enough to be pierced with a fork, but not at all mushy. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside to cool completely.
2. Separately, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and mix well to combine.
3. When the potatoes are fully cooled, place them in a large bowl with the celery, onion, and parsley or chives. Mix gently to combine. Add the mayonnaise mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Adjust seasoning before serving.

Find this and more recipes at TryVeg.com!

Photo: Beyond Meat