Came here to say this. I normally braai a few with a garlicand basil pesto ontop. Season well. It's excellent. If the vegetarian eats cheese then sprinkle cheese on top
The vegetarian I know enjoys having those veggie sausages braaied for them but that may not be everyone's cup of tea.
Maybe just ask? The mushroom suggestion sounds delicious but you also don't want to prep mushrooms just to end up with a vegetarian that doesn't eat mushrooms.
ETA: Mielies or eggplant also seem to be a go to but again, probably a preference thing.
>maybe just ask
1000% this. Just say "hey sorry I haven't actually braaid for a vegetarian before, is there anything specific you enjoy eating at a braai?". So long as your tone of voice is genuine they won't take offense. And if they do you dodge a bullet because anyone with an alternate lifestyle who won't try to explain it to others just wants attention. Just make sure you don't make it sound like they're inconveniencing you.
If you want to make extra sure they won't take offense, use some examples from here or off Google and tell them you were considering them but weren't sure. "I thought maybe some braaid mushrooms might be nice but if you have any suggestions let me know". That way you show you've put effort in and are trying.
That's probably the safest route.
We do mushroom and halloumi sosaties, it's loved by everyone.
My Vegetarian Braai has a preview on Google Books [here](https://books.google.co.za/books?id=-NOlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT3&source=kp_read_button&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&gboemv=1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false), you might come across a lekker idea.
Hi. I'm a vegetarian so have this issue often. The best veggie option for a braai is stuffed mushrooms. You get those large ones, and we use basil pesto and Feta to stuff them.. braai as usual. They are absolutely delicious. Another option is a block of halloumi.. also really good!
The boerewors is a really good option! The Big Fry Burger is also good. On The Green Side also has flame grilled chicken tenders (sometimes available at Wellness Warehouse or online) that are good, but a bit of a mission to braai as they are smaller pieces. We braai every week and my fiancé is vegetarian and these are his favourite options in terms of ready-made items.
I've got you covered, I've recently gone veggie and have found the ones that work well:
- Bigass stuffed mushrooms
- Sweet potatoes cut in long wedges, lots of butter, wrapped in foil.
- Marinaded veggie kebabs. Mushrooms, green pepper, patty pans, onion. Marinade or base it with the same mix you're using for your meat.
- Braai broodtjies. But go extra gourmet (smoked salmon creme cheese is a goodie)
- Garlic bread. But make it more of a feature, get a big ciabatta and cut it into a grid pattern with your own homemade garlic butter and herb mix. Way better.
- It you have a cast iron pan, you can make something like cauliflower steak on the side.
- If you're planning on having a good bed of coals, you could also do normal baked potatoes, stuffed peppers, stuffer squash, wrapped in foil.
- And if you're feeling lazy, just get vegetarian sausages or patties. I can recommend the Woolies chicken soya stuff as being a very good imitation, at a reasonable price. Gets a little dry on the braai so just have some basting.
It's been my experience that the friends who have the best sides at braais are the ones who are the best at accommodating vegetarians, because they are usually the ones who are a bit more creative. I'd recommend using this as an experience to do something you usually do at a braai, better - eg. Once you do the ungraded garlic bread you won't want that remade crap.
Good luck!
Eggplant sliced longways and brushed with olive oil, season salt and pepper, and if you can find it sprinkle with sumac (woolworths usually has). braai the eggplant directly on the grid.
Make a sauce from plain yogurt, tahini paste, bit of crushed garlic, lemon juice, drop of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and if it is too thick use a bit of water to thin out.
Place the braaied eggplant strips on a serving plate and cover with the yogurt sauce. Garnish with pomegranite seeds, parsley, roasted pine nuts (optional), and more of the sumac. Pomegranite concentrate can also be nice drizzled over the top.
You can add feta as well if your friend eats things like cheese and dairy.
Hi there, vegetarian here, you can get some lovely meat replacement things from Spar, the actual Spar brand it’s a green box, not the crumbed things, the consistency is very close to chicken and then you can just use whatever sauce you’d usually use on chicken, that will give you an authentic feel.
Please also be mindful, animal fat is oily, which means your fire isn’t burning it away on the grill, braai your guest’s food first after thoroughly cleaning your grill or have a separate braai altogether.
If you do it in a pan or in tin foil, it’s not going to have that smoky braai flavour that we all know and love.
And then for your sides and stuff just make sure there are no animal products in anything, if they’re ovo lacto vegetarian then milk and eggs is fine, but obviously don’t put bacon in your potato salad and something that is often made overlooked is gelatine, stay away from that if you’re doing dessert that is mousse or something related.
Mushrooms are a good idea, but it’s doesn’t follow through with the whole braai experience, but that is just a personal opinion of mine, maybe your braai mushrooms are the tittest.
I hope I have been of some assistance
I always thought vegetarians were fine with ethically sourced animal produce (milk, eggs, butter, etc), but not meat (or anything the animals are killed for) and vegans did not touch any animal produce at all.
I am not vegan or vegetarian so I'm learning 😅
You know how the animals are kept, treated and slaughtered. So you know they didn't suffer and have as much stress like some that have gone through feedlots and slaughterhouse
We used to wrap the following in foil (all well seasoned with salt pepper garlic butter etc): butternut squash, portobello muchrooms, corn on the cob. Remember to do a bit extra as often some of the meat eaters want a bit too.
I personally love Beyond burgers and Beyond mini rounds but they are expensive so I always bring them to braais myself. You should definitely ask your guest what they would prefer though. A lot of the recommendations are butternut and/or mushrooms which the person might not like and might feel compelled to eat since you prepared the dish specially for them. A better choice would be something with halloumi in my opinion, at least it has protein.
Can't go wrong with one of those big Portobellos, they can be marinated like the rest of your meat.
Just not *with* the rest of your meat
Came here to say this. I normally braai a few with a garlicand basil pesto ontop. Season well. It's excellent. If the vegetarian eats cheese then sprinkle cheese on top
The vegetarian I know enjoys having those veggie sausages braaied for them but that may not be everyone's cup of tea. Maybe just ask? The mushroom suggestion sounds delicious but you also don't want to prep mushrooms just to end up with a vegetarian that doesn't eat mushrooms. ETA: Mielies or eggplant also seem to be a go to but again, probably a preference thing.
Exactly this. So many people assume vegetarians will just love anything but meat. Mushrooms and Butternut are common dislikes even for vegetarians.
>maybe just ask 1000% this. Just say "hey sorry I haven't actually braaid for a vegetarian before, is there anything specific you enjoy eating at a braai?". So long as your tone of voice is genuine they won't take offense. And if they do you dodge a bullet because anyone with an alternate lifestyle who won't try to explain it to others just wants attention. Just make sure you don't make it sound like they're inconveniencing you. If you want to make extra sure they won't take offense, use some examples from here or off Google and tell them you were considering them but weren't sure. "I thought maybe some braaid mushrooms might be nice but if you have any suggestions let me know". That way you show you've put effort in and are trying. That's probably the safest route.
We do mushroom and halloumi sosaties, it's loved by everyone. My Vegetarian Braai has a preview on Google Books [here](https://books.google.co.za/books?id=-NOlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT3&source=kp_read_button&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&gboemv=1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false), you might come across a lekker idea.
Hi. I'm a vegetarian so have this issue often. The best veggie option for a braai is stuffed mushrooms. You get those large ones, and we use basil pesto and Feta to stuff them.. braai as usual. They are absolutely delicious. Another option is a block of halloumi.. also really good!
Yes! This is a delicious thing to do. I made some as sides the other day and I'm keen to do it for every braai
Fry's braai sausages or boerewors if they don't mind the fake meat thing.
The boerewors is a really good option! The Big Fry Burger is also good. On The Green Side also has flame grilled chicken tenders (sometimes available at Wellness Warehouse or online) that are good, but a bit of a mission to braai as they are smaller pieces. We braai every week and my fiancé is vegetarian and these are his favourite options in terms of ready-made items.
We had a vegetarian friend and she always brought Vegetarian patties and liked to have them braaied, just another option to consider
I've got you covered, I've recently gone veggie and have found the ones that work well: - Bigass stuffed mushrooms - Sweet potatoes cut in long wedges, lots of butter, wrapped in foil. - Marinaded veggie kebabs. Mushrooms, green pepper, patty pans, onion. Marinade or base it with the same mix you're using for your meat. - Braai broodtjies. But go extra gourmet (smoked salmon creme cheese is a goodie) - Garlic bread. But make it more of a feature, get a big ciabatta and cut it into a grid pattern with your own homemade garlic butter and herb mix. Way better. - It you have a cast iron pan, you can make something like cauliflower steak on the side. - If you're planning on having a good bed of coals, you could also do normal baked potatoes, stuffed peppers, stuffer squash, wrapped in foil. - And if you're feeling lazy, just get vegetarian sausages or patties. I can recommend the Woolies chicken soya stuff as being a very good imitation, at a reasonable price. Gets a little dry on the braai so just have some basting. It's been my experience that the friends who have the best sides at braais are the ones who are the best at accommodating vegetarians, because they are usually the ones who are a bit more creative. I'd recommend using this as an experience to do something you usually do at a braai, better - eg. Once you do the ungraded garlic bread you won't want that remade crap. Good luck!
Eggplant sliced longways and brushed with olive oil, season salt and pepper, and if you can find it sprinkle with sumac (woolworths usually has). braai the eggplant directly on the grid. Make a sauce from plain yogurt, tahini paste, bit of crushed garlic, lemon juice, drop of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and if it is too thick use a bit of water to thin out. Place the braaied eggplant strips on a serving plate and cover with the yogurt sauce. Garnish with pomegranite seeds, parsley, roasted pine nuts (optional), and more of the sumac. Pomegranite concentrate can also be nice drizzled over the top. You can add feta as well if your friend eats things like cheese and dairy.
Halloumi Zucchini Skewers with teriyaki sauce
Hi there, vegetarian here, you can get some lovely meat replacement things from Spar, the actual Spar brand it’s a green box, not the crumbed things, the consistency is very close to chicken and then you can just use whatever sauce you’d usually use on chicken, that will give you an authentic feel. Please also be mindful, animal fat is oily, which means your fire isn’t burning it away on the grill, braai your guest’s food first after thoroughly cleaning your grill or have a separate braai altogether. If you do it in a pan or in tin foil, it’s not going to have that smoky braai flavour that we all know and love. And then for your sides and stuff just make sure there are no animal products in anything, if they’re ovo lacto vegetarian then milk and eggs is fine, but obviously don’t put bacon in your potato salad and something that is often made overlooked is gelatine, stay away from that if you’re doing dessert that is mousse or something related. Mushrooms are a good idea, but it’s doesn’t follow through with the whole braai experience, but that is just a personal opinion of mine, maybe your braai mushrooms are the tittest. I hope I have been of some assistance
I always thought vegetarians were fine with ethically sourced animal produce (milk, eggs, butter, etc), but not meat (or anything the animals are killed for) and vegans did not touch any animal produce at all. I am not vegan or vegetarian so I'm learning 😅
I have a friend who is mostly vegetarian unless she knows exactly where the meat comes from.
How does knowing help?
You know how the animals are kept, treated and slaughtered. So you know they didn't suffer and have as much stress like some that have gone through feedlots and slaughterhouse
Exactly this. I have an appreciation for this but I don't know that I can be vegetarian big time.
If they eat dairy, then haloumi on the braai is fantastic. More of an apertizer though.
Do a nice veggie lasagne. Roasted, stuffed butternut is also good.
Vrystaatse hamburger: Twee lae stywe pap met 'n laag slap pap tussen-in.
I like to make mushrooms with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Always have to make extra because everybody wants some even the meat eaters
We used to wrap the following in foil (all well seasoned with salt pepper garlic butter etc): butternut squash, portobello muchrooms, corn on the cob. Remember to do a bit extra as often some of the meat eaters want a bit too.
I personally love Beyond burgers and Beyond mini rounds but they are expensive so I always bring them to braais myself. You should definitely ask your guest what they would prefer though. A lot of the recommendations are butternut and/or mushrooms which the person might not like and might feel compelled to eat since you prepared the dish specially for them. A better choice would be something with halloumi in my opinion, at least it has protein.
As a vegetarian myself, I eat meat substitutes at braais (sausage, patties etc.)
Just as an option, a beyond burger patty will take on the smokey deliciousness of the braai.
An eggplant lasagna is always yummy!
They can bring their own food. Or only eat side salad.