Vegans can happily feast at the family barbecue too!

By Gloria Stovall

I am not ashamed to admit that I absolutely love food; so naturally, I anticipate and love holidays that involve a plethora of food.  If I can be candid, when I first became a vegan, or I should say, the first five years of me being a vegan, the joy, excitement and thrill of the holidays was severely dulled and no longer met with the same anticipation and energy as the previous years, as there was not a wide variety of tasty vegan options available; and my family was still adjusting to me going vegan-not really knowing what to feed me.  That was then this is now-fast forward eight years…oh my goodness the variety of tasty food is back on the plate for this hungry vegan to eat! Today is the 4^th of July-Independence Day in America, which happens to be one of my treasured holidays not only because this symbolic holiday signifies the day America was officially separated from Great Britain but also because of the variety of appetizing vegan food that I can eat to my heart’s content.

If you love grilled burgers as much as myself, then I enthusiastically recommend the Beyond Burger or Impossible Burger, which are both mouth-watering plant-based burgers. The Beyond Burger is my best-loved plant based burger as it is NON-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) gluten-free, soy-free and utilizes pea protein and best of all, so tasty.  The Impossible Burger is also a favored choice amongst vegans as well and is also gluten-free, but please know it does contain soy and GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organism).  Nevertheless, the Impossible Burger is still a vegan winner for the sizzling summer grill!  Please note that even though both of these plant-based burgers are gluten-free, you have to purchase gluten-free buns if you do not consume gluten and this also includes when ordering the burgers from restaurants. 

Gone are the days when vegans cannot enjoy a creamy delish potato salad with their friends and family at the annual barbecue.  If you procrastinated and did not prepare your own potato salad, make a quick stop at your local Whole Foods and get a container of their mouth-watering vegan potato salad!  They have a plethora of vegan options and best of all reasonably priced.   Grilled vegetables including asparagus, mushrooms, bell peppers, cucumbers, artichokes, potatoes, green beans, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, corn; and onions are always a sensation at barbecues. Whether or not you are a vegan you can do so many versatile things with these lovely grilled vegetables such as making vegetable fajitas, shish kebabs and skewers or toss the grilled vegetables into a lemon herb & garlic marinade. 

If you love eating macaroni and cheese at your family barbecue, may I recommend Daiya’s vegan mac and cheese; which comes in a variety of flavors and honestly speaking, this is the best tasting vegan mac and cheese I have ever tasted, not to mention it is gluten-free and organic. What I anticipate most at summer barbecues is the sweet ice cream, as I personally love an ample scoop of decadent vanilla, strawberry or chocolate ice cream.  Instead of using dairy milk, the base of vegan ice cream is made using coconuts, almonds, soybeans, cashews or oats; and you can find a variety of decadent plant-based ice cream at stores such as Whole Foods, Jewel, Mariano’s, Trader Joe’s, Target, Aldi, CVS and some select Walgreens and Wal-Mart stores.  My all time favorite is Trader Joe’s chocolate non-dairy frozen dessert made with coconut milk….so delicious. 

The summer barbecues and gatherings are festive times to have fun, eat and be merry; and thanks to the wealth of vegan food options, vegans can truly enjoy eating more than a salad with their friends and families. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today and following my blog!  Have a lovely day!