Having a Chicken BBQ with some vegan and vegetarian guests, what do I do?

Tofu can be disastrous if you don't know how to cook it, so I wouldn't recommend it.

Grilled corn is good, make sure the baked beans are free or bacon and bacon flavoring.

Most store-bought pasta is vegan- I use Barilla whole grain rotini, penne, spaghetti- its basically just flour and water. What you'll need to worry about for the pasta salad is dressing. There are some vinaigrettes that are vegan, and if you look you can find vegan Italian dressing, or you can just just use oil and vinegar. Add celery, bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, onion, or chickpeas.

You can just grill veggie burgers- I like MorningStar (but make sure they're vegan burgers- no eggs or dairy) or sautee them in olive oil. Amy's Texas burgers are good too.

Bake or grill sweet potatoes or potatoes.

Fruit salad or kebabs- maybe with non-dairy whipped cream.

Grilled veggies, or grilled veggie sandwiches.

Maybe have garlic bread with pasta salad? I dunno if thats weird but I always have garlic bread with pasta. Just take any vegan sliced bread, brush it with olive oil, sprinkle on onion powder, garlic powder, and parsley flakes, and stick it in a 350-degree oven til it crisps. Very easy, just make sure the bread is vegan (some have mono-/di- glycerides, L-cysteine, or whey).

Maybe have bean salad or salsa and chips. Bean salad- just toss chopped onion, chopped tomato, black beans, and corn, with a dash of lime juice and some cilantro leaves. My aunt and I made it on the 4th and it was delish. And most chips are vegan, so thats easy... guacamole, too.

Hope that helped :) and thanks for thinking of your guests' diets- many people don't bother. I doubt they'll expect you to prepare a whole vegan banquet- most vegans are used to going to bbqs and only eating salsa and chips, and any sane person would appreciate any effort you put into it. Good luck, and have fun at the bbq :D

If you use pasta that does not contain egg and use an italian dressing with no cheese in it, that could be a vegan option.

Use bush's baked beans, as they have vegetarian ones. Or make then homemade with no pork in them. None of the meat eater will notice.

I suggest not trying tofu if you have never made it before. It can turn out really badly if not done correctly. Like the previous person said, you can buy fake chicken at a kroger or wal-mart. Just make sure there is no milk or eggs so the vegans can enjoy it too. It comes breaded or not breaded. There are tons of BBQ sauces that are vegan friendly you can brush on the patties.

Also check the buns for milk ingredients.

Boca is a great brand for frozen vegan chik'n patties and veggie burgers.

Get a veggie tray and some hummus.

Pasta is fine. It's basically flour & water. Unless you use egg noodles or something, but they aren't typically used for pasta salad. You could leave a bit of the pasta & veggies out before you add the cheese & such & make sure you get an Italian dressing that doesn't have cheese in it so the veg'ns could have some of that. Roasted veggies and/or potatoes are something that even the omnis love. Just cut up a bunch of veggies (include some onion & bell pepper in big chunks too) into a big bowl, mix in a bit of oil & a dash of soy sauce, maybe some herbs, then spoon onto pieces of foil (single serving size), wrap them tight & throw them on the grill. Wash some potatoes up, wrap in foil & put on the grill. Bush brand vegetarian baked beans are yummy, and you could doctor them up a bit if you want. I wouldn't expect someone to go all out with tofu or anything like that, especially if they aren't experienced with it. I usually have plenty to eat just from snack type stuff at BBQ's where the host doesn't know I'm vegan or doesn't think of it. Other than what you already have planned & what I mentioned...crudite and or fruit trays, tortilla chips & salsa or bean dips/guacamole, tossed salad, etc. You could pick up some pre-made veggie burgers, hot dogs or "chicken" patties if you wanted and microwave them or broil them inside. Oh, and if you're doing the corn on the grill, make sure you wrap it in foil at least for the veg'ns or use a separate clean area of the grill where there hasn't been meat. Most wouldn't want cross-contamination from the meat cooking.

Why don't you ask your guests who are veg*an what sorts of main dishes they would like?

If you're thinking of tofu, and you've never fixed it before, you might want to stick to prepackaged flavored tofus that you just have to heat and eat. Using uncooked tofu from the package takes practice to get right. There's also tempeh, an Indonesian food made of fermented soybeans. It comes in "cakes" and has a nutty, chewy flavor. You can cut it into cubes or slices and saute or crumble into chili instead of meat.

There are also tons of analogues on the market, some at conventional grocery stores (although the selection and prices, in my experience, are better at places like Whole Foods). Amy's makes some pretty good veggie burgers, and Tofurkey makes excellent vegan sausages. Gardein has beefless "Beef Tips" that might be good seasoned and grilled. They also have "Chick'n" Scaloppini that works wonders in any recipe calling for chicken. Flavor, grill, and serve. Those are just a few examples.

You can also make vegetable skewers brushed with seasoned olive oil or a vinaigrette. You can make corn on the cob, brushed with oil, and grilled. Earth Balance is an excellent vegan margarine, and Smart Balance also has a vegan variety (check the label). Most pastas should just be flour and water; check the label. With a vegan pasta, some veggies, and a vegan bottled dressing, you can make a really nice pasta salad for all your guests, vegan, vegetarian, and carnist.

Thanks for thinking of your friends.

lots of good ideas here already but what about vegetarian baked beans. They already fit the theme and are a perfectly acceptable vegetarian main dish. Aside from that make sure your caterer knows that you have vegetarians coming and ask them to leave meat products out of most of the sides. Also, be sure to have labels on the buffet table to designate which sides are vegetarian or vegan friendly and which ones have lurking bacon or chicken broth. eta: and yeah, they shouldn't have to change their menu just because some second cousin of family friend is a vegetarian but this is immediate family she is taking about. It would be extremely rude to completely ignore the needs of parents and siblings, no need to make the whole menu veggie but it is kind and polite to make sure that her- closest family has options to eat.

Marinated veggie skewers (bell pepper, onion, yellow squash, zucchini etc). Whip up a vegan friendly vinaigrette and marinate the veggies for a few hours before grilling. I would also pick up some vegetarian baked beans

at a supermarket you can actually buy fake chicken,its in the freezer section and its 100% vegan. They are chicken patties or chicken strips and taste great to so some fake chicken burgers you can grill is a good idea

you could just use fake chicken. Grocery stores have completely vegan "chicken" breasts, patties, etc. You could just BBQ that and everyone will be happy

they sell tofu hot dogs now you might try that

they sell all kind of stuff liike hotdog u should try that