So it’s your first year as a vegan. Firstly, well done on your valiant planet-saving and complete avoidance of animal cruelty. Secondly though, can we talk about BBQ season? If you’ve spent previous summers enthusiastically chowing down on hunks of meat, there's a chance you could be starting to feel rather nonplussed right now as the warm weather continues and BBQ after BBQ invite comes in.
But with even omnivores opting increasingly for plant-based meals these days, the supermarket aisles are your oyster when it comes to meat-free munching, even for BBQs, as there are so many decent products out there for veggies and vegans. Here are a few of our current favourite things to put on the outdoor grill.
Violife Mediterranean Block
It’s a fact of life that actual halloumi cannot be vegan, but we reckon this vegan imitation is not bad at all; it’s mastered the texture and has the requisite saltiness. The problem is the lack of flavour, so you’re definitely best off barbecuing it, which gives it a delicious smokiness. Cut it into chunky slices and grill it over the coals to have in burgers, or as part of a yummy salad. Ramp up the flavour factor by marinating the whole block in a mixture of lime juice, chilli, mint and garlic or – our favourite – a simple blend of sweetly sharp Odysea Pomegranate Molasses and a peppery olive oil for an eastern Mediterranean flavour well suited to the BBQ. Delicious.
Violife Mediterranean Style Block, £2.50 for 200g, available at Ocado
No Bull Burgers
You’ve probably seen all the fuss about this vegan 'bleeding burger ' made out of soya protein and beetroot juice. After some vigorous testing we’ve decided that while there are definitely tastier vegan burgers out there, this one has a lot of good points: 1) If you’re an ethical vegan who misses meat, then this has the texture of medium rare beef and looks the part too. 2) It doesn’t fall apart on the BBQ. 3) The novelty bleeding may not be to everybody's taste but has the benefit of keeping the burger juicy and moist.
As mentioned, it doesn’t have a whacking great flavour, but layered with a few slices of avocado, some crisp red onion, English mustard and Mr Organic’s vegan-friendly ketchup and mayonnaise, it is very enjoyable indeed and satisfies that burger craving in the way a quinoa patty can’t.
No Bull Burgers, £2 for two, available at Iceland
Aubergine
Aubergine is everybody’s best friend when it comes to BBQs. Slice it thickly, marinate it in whatever you’ve got to hand (think maple syrup, garlic and lemon, cumin, paprika and olive oil or miso, chilli and ginger) and grill it to perfection over those coals; you really can’t go wrong. We love Rebel Recipes for lots of great vegan inspo and her BBQ aubergine recipe is one we’ll be copying for sure. She simply halves the aubergine lengthways, brushes with oil and places skin side down, turning every few minutes until beautifully charred before serving with a crunchy mayo-free rainbow slaw and a divine pea avocado hummus. Get the recipes here.
Quorn Cumberland Sausages
The thing with Quorn is that so many innocent people think that because it's meat-free, it will be totally fine for any visiting vegans: wrong. Most of Quorn’s products contain egg white and/or milk so it's best to always check. The great news however is that Quorn's new Cumberland-style sausages are vegan. And they taste good to boot; it’s an imitation meat product and a mildly convincing one at that, with a close porky texture and the herby, savoury flavour you’d expect from a Cumberland sausage.
Quorn suggests coating the sausages in a mix of mango chutney, vegan-friendly wholegrain mustard, lemon juice and olive oil before slicing and threading onto skewers with chunks of red onion, cherry tomatoes and whatnot, and we are very much here for that. A slathering of parmesan-free homemade pesto after flame-grilling would also elevate these sausages big time (pound up some basil, lemon, garlic and your nut of choice (excluding peanuts) with nice olive oil and a splash or two of water). Or, you know, stick them in a hot dog bun with some nicely caramelised onions; whatever you want.
Quorn Vegan Cumberland Sausages, £2.50 for 6, available at Tesco
Asda Mushroom & Kale Sausages
The new frozen vegan things in Asda are a purse-friendly welcome addition to our lives and we particularly like these mushroom & kale sausages. They’re very much not an imitation meat product, so expect a more veggie-like texture thanks to the lentils, rice and veg packed into the sausages, but because they’re not trying to be meat they have a great flavour via the umami-rich mushrooms and the iron from the kale. They need to be handled carefully on the BBQ so don’t go prodding them too much, but the result would certainly keep most veggies or vegans happy once ensconced in a hot dog roll. Other flavours include Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Red Pepper, and there's a very nice vegan burger of Edamame, Asparagus and Mint if you need any more help reaching your five a day and want an alternative to the usual bean burger or meat substitute (they’re delicious in a bun with Violife 'feta' aka Greek Block and your favourite chilli sauce).
Asda Mushroom & Kale Sausages, £1.50 for 6, available at Asda
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