Tips, Recipes, and Ideas for Hosting a Festive Vegan Cookout!

When you decide to host a vegan cookout or even just a regular cookout, you have a lot to do and a lot of ground to cover in a short time, but we at One Green Planet have you covered. We have some tips, recipes, and ideas for you to embark on your epic vegan cookout quest. Read on, and I assure you that your stress over your next cookout will go down considerably.

Tips

1. Keep it Simple

Stick to easily made burgers and salads for a quick, healthy, and delicious main dish for your cookout. See below for some great recipes concocted by our very own Green Monsters!

2. Make it a Potluck

If you tell everyone that’s coming to your cookout to bring something, then the burden of cooking everything won’t be on your shoulders. Plus, if some of your guests are picky eaters, they can eat what they brought — it’s a double-win situation!

3. Have Something for the Kids to Do

If you have a pool, then you’ve got yourself a good solution to entertain the kids; however, if you don’t, then you can easily turn on your hose and let the kids go wild on the grass with the water. You could also get a slip-n-slide or water toys to make the experience even better for the kiddos.

4. Include Some Fresh Fruit and Crudités With Your Cooked Fare

Most people enjoy some watermelon, pineapple, honeydew, or berries at cookouts, especially when they are coupled with cut-up vegetables — carrots, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, and the like — and hummus or nondairy ranch dip.

5. Get Biodegradable Paper Plates and Flatware

Compared to regular paper (and heaven forbid Styrofoam) plates, biodegradable or bamboo plates are not that much more expensive. These plates are better for the environment and are easy to eat on, so get them for your cookout!

Recipes

Though cookouts and grilling are often associated with meat products, there are countless, amazing plant-based recipes for the grill as well.

Check out these

• 10 Epic Veggie Burgers to Throw on the Grill Now
• 50 Monster Vegan Burgers and Sandwiches
• 50 Jaw-Dropping Vegan-Friendly BBQ and Grilling Recipes
• Sweet Sriracha Glazed Grilled Carrots [Vegan, Gluten-Free]
• Grilled Cuban Tofu Sandwich [Vegan, Gluten-Free]
• Grilled Seitan Kebabs With Creole Coconut Sauce [Vegan]
• Grilled Eggplant With Lemon Basil Drizzle [Vegan]
• Grilled Asparagus and Smoked Tofu Benedict [Vegan]
• Grilled Street Corn With Aji Amarillo Queso [Vegan]

Ideas

1. Make a Skewer Station—Kids Love Them!

Get some metal or bamboo skewers, and let the kids make their own by laying out vegetables or fruits that can be quickly grilled.

2. Make a Non-Dairy Ice Cream or Sorbet Station

If you have a Vitamix, this is easy to do. Simply buy or freeze fruits by yourself along with some unsweetened nondairy milk, and ask guests what type of ice cream they’d like. You can also buy some cacao powder or maca for a little flair. After making the ice cream, you can stir in chocolate chips for the kids!

3. Have a Wide Variety of Drinks

If you have adults who like their alcohol coming, then you should buy some gluten-free beer or a bottle of champagne, or wine so they can have a good time. Put the alcohol in a separate cooler from the sodas or water bottles to ensure that the kids don’t get their hands on it. Better yet, leave the alcohol somewhere inside the house and simply ask your guests whether or not they’d like an alcoholic beverage.

4. Have a Box of Sidewalk Chalk for the Kids to Draw

Sidewalk chalk is so simple yet so fun to have around, so that kids or adults can draw or write notes on the pavement or concrete around your house or apartment. The beauty of this fun little activity is that it’s not permanent, it’s biodegradable, and it’s cheap.

5. Get Your Music Playlists Ready — Include all Sorts of Genres

Music pumps up parties, cookouts, and gatherings. Find all sorts of music to appeal to your guests and diversify your music palate. You don’t need some fancy speakers, you can just use your old CD player if you have one. Buy some cool CDs, and play it loud (well, not too loud…).

These tips, recipes, and ideas will hopefully guide you on your way to cookout greatness! If you have any other helpful tips for vegan cookouts, please comment and let us know what you do for a successful cookout! Happy grilling!

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer,  prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend grabbing our favorite plant-based cookbooks and downloading the Food Monster App — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals, and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep
• Plant-Based Cookbooks 

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