The Ultimate Guide to Eating Less Meat at a BBQ
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Summer! The sun is setting later, the BBQs are fired up, and the vegetables are on the BBQ. Yes, I did just say vegetables.
By Julie Cappiello
When it comes to summer, the first thing most people think of is barbecues. What’s better than sitting outside with a cold drink in your hand and plates of delicious food shared with your friends and family? Nothing!
Vegetables
Grilled vegetables are delicious and can be quite filling. Summer vegetables like capsicum, zucchini and corn make great grilling veggies. The versatility of summer vegetables can make even the pickiest of eaters enjoy dinnertime.
Have you ever grilled corn and used it as a topping for nachos? Or made delicious grilled zucchini boats stuffed with rice, mushrooms, and a sauce of your choice? Carrot ‘hotdogs’ (don’t knock them until you try them) can also be a great sausage substitute.
There are endless ideas for grilling vegetables that will make your taste buds dance with delight, you just have to get creative!
Fruits
Fresh. Grilled. Peaches. Need I say more?
When grilled, the natural sugars in peaches get caramelised, heightening the sweet flavour of the fruits and making them taste (almost) like candy. Grilled fruit kebabs (including banana, strawberry, pineapple, rockmelon, and apple are a delicious finale for a hearty meal.
For an extra fun dessert, grilled watermelon will not only satisfy your sweet tooth, but will help hydrate you on those long hot summer nights.
Tofu
Tofu is a versatile, protein rich ingredient which can be used in smoothies, quiches, or as an ‘egg’ scramble.
Using firm tofu add spices, vegetables, and other ingredients to create plant-based burger patties, or grill extra firm tofu and use that as the protein base for your meal. Coat my tofu in a spice mixture which includes chicken salt (it doesn't contain chicken!) to give it the flavour of grilled chicken, or marinate cubes of firm tofu in your favorite plant-based barbecue sauce and call it a day.
Plant-Based Proteins
As more people are choosing to eat less meat and embrace a plant-based diet, meat substitutes are readily available in most supermarkets and corner stores. Keep plant-based protein in your freezer, whether it’s a type of sausage, patty, ground ‘meat’, or vegetarian hotdogs for quick and easy BBQ options.
Veggie Patties
Tried and true veggie patties are easy to make and can be frozen. With plenty of ready-made burger alternatives now readily available, there’s nothing like a good plant-based burger patty to keep you feeling full.
By reducing our meat consumption, World Animal Protection expects that a decrease in demand will cause factory farming to be phased out, which will result in farmed animals living better lives.
Shifting to more sustainable and kinder farming practices has the potential to end to many of the cruel practices farmed animals experience today, such as extreme confinement, the overuse of antibiotics, and brutal mutilations.
Eating less meat benefits your personal health and the health of our environment, by reducing carbon emissions and negative impacts on the land, water and air which are caused by factory farming.
Join World Animal Protection and help us to protect animals from factory farming by joining our Plant Protein Challenge. Share your plant-based BBQ meals with us using the #PlantProteinChallenge hashtag.
By reducing our meat consumption, World Animal Protection expects that a decrease in demand will cause factory farming to be phased out, which will result in farmed animals living better lives.