Bring your own meat BBQ (LOL)
Another one of my rambling posts.. so I bolded the main question LOL
In two weeks we're going to a, "Bring Your Own Meat BBQ" (that makes me laugh and roll my eyes every time)
It's being thrown by a group that I volunteer for, for the volunteers and their families.
We're supposed to bring, "a food item to share with everyone, and your own family's meat items for the BBQ." ??? ::)
ANYWAY,
We'll be taking some vegan Boca burgers (and our own vegan buns, I suppose.... and our own organic ketchup and mustard, lettuce etc. you get the idea)
I have no idea how Boca burgers will work on the grill (I don't have a problem sharing the grill with meat... I will be sure DH puts ours in a far corner though)
I'm just wondering do I need to bring cooking spray?? Anyone have any frozen veg burger grilling tips?
My son is the only one who eats them normally at our house and I just microwave them and chop them up and he eats it with a fork. :)
Also, I'm thinking I'm going to end up bring a few dishes (not just the one item to share) just for the sake of my family. As well as "our own food"
I'd like to make traditional BBQ-y stuff... but it's been so long since I've been to an All-American kind of thing that I don't even know what I would find at a BBQ! In my mind I'm picturing 4th of July type picnic stuff... ?
Should I just bring one boring (sorry, I mean omni-friendly) vegan thing to share and make everything else for our own family picnic style?? Since we "need" it and I wouldn't want it to get used up before we got some, maybe we shouldn't share? What do you think?
Plus, we don't drink soda and I'm pretty sure that'll be the majority of drink items. So just bring everything and be totally self-sufficient?
Regardless, I don't want to be rude.
LOL, I don't normally "do" events like this so I'm totally lost.
I would bring enough of everything for your family to have enough and be full at the end of the meal. Once you have served yourselves, then put the rest out to share. I always bring the same things to these events: boca burgers and buns, potato salad, pasta salad. I make the potato salad look just like the non-vegan kind, using veganaise instead of regular mayonaise, of course. No one can tell, and I don't usually bring it up. I just have a huge helping before anyone else does.
As for the burgers, my advice is to bring some aluminum foil, spray it with cooking spray, and then put your burgers on. I do this for two reasons: 1, I don't get meat juices on my food, and 2, boca burgers (and other veggie burgers for that matter) stick to grills no matter how much spray I've used. If you want to ahead of time, wrap the burgers individually, then when they're done cooking on the grill (essentially when they're heated through), you can just plop them on your plate, unwrap and enjoy!
Now I want a burger. :)
Boca's on the grill are sooooo tasty! Be sure to not overcook them though or they end up really tough/chewy! I've never used foil, just plop 'em on the grill with cooking spray. I love the grill marks/crispy parts. If you like BBQ sauce try basting the burgers when they're almost finished. :)
I LOVE Boca brugers on the grill. Hey Cherbear, that's exactly what I do with mine (BBQ sauce). SOOOOO yummy :D
I also agree with the others. They do tend to stick a bit. I use olive oil on my grill grate before grilling Bocas. It seems to work fine.
Yeah, make sure you stress the whole "not overcooking" them thing... if an omni tries to cook those things, they can never tell when they're done, so they end up as hockey-pucks. You definitely just need to warm them and get some grill-marks.
Thanks everyone, I think grill marks sound yummy but to make it easy I'll probably just wrap them in foil and warm them up on the BBQ.
Any ideas for dishes to take along to share?
I had a great idea... I'm going to bring placecards and a marker and leave them out so everyone can label the dish they brought. Someone's son there is allergic to dairy and nuts so I'm going to make vegan brownies especially for him, but I have to bake the regular vegan batch with nuts cuz ... well YUM. But I was wondering how to mark it dairy free nuts and dairy free no nuts it, then I thought it'd be great if everyone's stuff was labeled! LOL I'm a nerd.
what about a simple cold pasta salad? Use the tri-colored pasta and add any veggie you want then drizzle italian dressing over all. Something simple and something most everyone would enjoy. :)
Any ideas for dishes to take along to share?
That is a great idea about having people put a placard in front of their dish to label any potential hazard. ;D I never would have thought of that! For other dishes I would bring corn, already husked and wrapped in foil that way you can just throw them on the grill. Also, there is a herb roasted potato recipe on this site that is great for BBQ-type events: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=4721.0
I quarter a lemon, squeeze the juice over everything and leave the peels in the pan during baking. Uber-yummy!
I love bean salad at barbecues. Something like this: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=9455.0
Except without the celery! :P
Edit: Actually, this one looks a little better. Not as much oil and sugar. I would even cut down on the sugar in this one (but it should still be a little sweet).
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=9375.0
boca burgers are pretty good on the grill, but i far prefer to bring eggplant and zucchini and asparagus.
The good thing is that the grill burn off most of what's on it like meat juices *ick*... You can take a potato salad and veggie dogs too. Sounds like fun ;)
boca burgers are pretty good on the grill, but i far prefer to bring eggplant and zucchini and asparagus.
LOL, that's much more along our taste lines and what we'd normally have! But I prefer not to "stand out" at this particular thing. So we're going burger-rific! It'll be a fun change.
Yeah, make sure you stress the whole "not overcooking" them thing... if an omni tries to cook those things, they can never tell when they're done, so they end up as hockey-pucks. You definitely just need to warm them and get some grill-marks.
So true!!! I have had nice "chicken" patties ruined because "No, they aren't done yet, they're not through." - "yes they are, they just need to heat up, they weren't raw to begin with." - "Just leave me alone, I know what I'm doing." - blah blah. My mom also burnt my tofu mock ground meat once when i was making vegan chilli along-side her non-vegan chilli. She turned the heat on both pots to high before throwing in her meat. I told her the tofu would burn but she didn't belive me. I threw it in and it immediately started smoking. TOFU IS NOT MEAT!!!!
You can take a potato salad and veggie dogs too. Sounds like fun ;)
Can't take veggie dogs... we don't have those here :( I wish though! Cuz I'm pregnant and craving a 'hot dog' now that you said that!
I think I am going to do Lauren's roasted potatos for the crowd
as well as some organic salt and vinegar roasted chickpeas for us! Mmmm...
I would suggest maybe taking something crisp, and cooling. Something with fresh raw veggies, fruits, or/and nuts-but not neccessarily a salad.
Sometimes having all that grilled, hot, and often spicy food can burn you out before your time. :D
Even if you or your family are the only ones that eat it, you'll thank yourself for bringing it. If you think that it's not going to be devoured bring a small dish. People who are watching their weights, have illnesses, or allergies, or even, *gasp*, other veggies will enjoy it, and thank you too!
Sounds like a blast, though! Have a good time! :)