Many people think that BBQ is just for the carnivores. But anything that omnivores eat, vegans can also eat if they have the right recipes. Following are some great vegan barbeque recipes that are sure to have anyone drooling — not just the vegans.
Sriracha Veggie Burger
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. plus 1/4 cup Sriracha
1 3/4 cups cooked black beans or
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds
3 Tbsp. water
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced red onion
8 oz. thinly sliced cremini or button mushrooms
2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos or low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
4 sesame seed buns or ciabatta rolls
Arugula leaves, for garnish
1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into long strips
1 ripe Hass avocado, pitted and sliced just before serving
Instructions:
1. Combine the vegan mayonnaise with the cumin, and garlic, as well as 2 tablespoonfuls of Sriracha in a small bowl and stir until fully and absolutely combined.
2. Cover and refrigerate the mixture until ready to use.
3. Spread black beans in a single layer on a clean kitchen towel or on paper towels. After that, cover with an additional towel or more paper towels and pat dry.
4. In a small bowl, mix the flaxseeds and water and let sit for a few minutes, until a gel begins to form.
5. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. After that, you should add the onion and sauté until its softened, which is usually around 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they have given off their moisture and begin to brown, which is roughly about 5 to 7 minutes. Once that’s done, remove them from the heat and let them cool off slightly.
7. Transfer to a food processor and add beans and flaxseed gel, as well as cilantro, garlic, the remaining Sriracha, Bragg Liquid Aminos, as well as pepper, and 1 cupful of bread crumbs. Pulse all of this until its just combined, with at least a little bit of chunky bean bits remaining intact. After that, form this mixture into four patties and make sure to let them sit while you preheat the grill. However, if your patties aren’t firm enough to hold their shape, you should consider incorporating additional bread crumbs by hand and then reforming them into patties once more.
8. Lightly oil a grill or grill pan and preheat it to medium-high heat. After that, using a metal spatula, you should try to gently transfer the patties onto the grill. Then, cook these until they are sufficiently browned on both sides – which is normally about 10 minutes total – making sure you gently flip them once about halfway through. Also, you can lightly toast your buns throughout the last minutes of cooking, if you desire.
9. To assemble the burger, spread the refrigerated Sriracha-cumin sauce on the top and bottom of each bun. Then, load each one up with a patty, a conservativie handful of arugula and one-fourth of your red bell pepper and avocado. Of course, you’ll want to serve these bad boys immediately
Note: For the gluten intolerant among us, a gluten-free version of this burger would involve substituting almond flour for bread crumbs and use gluten-free hamburger buns or wrap your topped burgers in large leaves of iceberg, Boston, or Bibb lettuce.
You can also pair this with some nice corn using this recipe:
Grilled Garlic Corn
Ingredients:
1 cup margarine, softened (try Earth Balance brand)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. minced parsley
1 Tbsp. minced basil
1 Tbsp. minced chives
4 garlic cloves, crushed
6 ears corn, husked
Instructions:
1. In a small container, combine the margarine and salt with your pepper and parsley. Add in basil, chives, and garlic. Cover this mixture and refrigerate it for 2 hours.
2. Spread the herbed margarine over the corn, making sure to cover it completely. After that, wrap the dish in aluminum foil and grill it for 15 to 20 minutes, turning consistently until it is cooked thoroughly.
Recipes adapted from Peta.org.
Written by the staff of Lutz’s BBQ, where they serve up tasty BBQ and provide some of the best service for catering Columbia MO has to offer.