Delicious Vegetarian Barbecue Ideas 24.05.2016

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Everybody loves a barbecue! Nothing can beat the relaxed ambience of outside entertaining. Yet most of us associate barbecues with meat and then more meat. So what if you’re cooking for a vegetarian, or just want to try something totally different? Here are some wonderful ideas for vegetarian barbecue food. Make this the summer you transform your barbecue repertoire. You might never feel the need to cook with meat again.

Grilled Vegetables

Another way to get that classic barbecue taste, without eating meat is simply barbecuing vegetables. As noted above for the burgers, mushrooms are fantastic when grilled, as are red peppers and red onions and it is definitely worth adding some of these to your shopping list. Make sure the vegetable slices are large enough so that they don’t fall between the slats of the barbecue rack. Alternatively spear the chopped vegetables together on a skewer. Brush with olive oil and cook until slightly burnt.

Another vegetable that tastes best when barbecued is sweetcorn. Cook the corn cobs in water until tender. Season with sea salt and add spices of your choice. Paprika and parsley work well. Rub these well into the cobs with a little melted butter. When you are ready, brown the corn kernels on the barbecue for 5/10 minutes.

Other vegetables that are delicious when grilled include zucchini, butternut squash, asparagus, and eggplant.

Polpettes

These delicious little fritters made from potato and feta cheese flavoured with dill and lemon juice will bring a taste of Greece to the table. Boil 500g of peeled potatoes and when cooked through, mash thoroughly. Add 115g roughly grated feta cheese, 3 tablespoons of chopped spring onions, 1 beaten egg, 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and season well. Mix together and shape into little balls the size and shape of a squashed golf ball. Brush with olive oil and grill on the barbecue until golden.

Stuffed Tomatoes

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Tomatoes taste best when grilled. Add large, ripe, beefsteak tomatoes to your shopping list. Slice the top off the tomatoes and scoop out the insides. Chop the pulp and seeds up and mix this with cooked rice, parsley and sultanas. Season well and spoon this mixture back into the tomatoes. Sprinkle with ground almonds and drizzle with olive oil. Grill them on the barbecue for 15 minutes.

Veggie Burgers

There is no need for meat to enjoy the tastes of a delicious burger. However, most veggie burgers won’t hold together if you try and grill them. The answer – a mushroom burger is as good as anything you can imagine on a barbecue. Just grill some extra large, open top mushrooms on the barbecue, adding a sprinkle of salt and pepper and perhaps a few drops of balsamic vinegar and place them in your burger bun, on top of a sliced tomato and some salad such as rocket or baby spinach leaves. You’ll probably want to add something crunchy as well. A few slices of raw red pepper and red onion should do the trick. Afterwards, just add whatever sauces you like on a burger, sit back and enjoy.