Vegetarian's Guide to the 4th of July

I have been vegetarian for many years and I've discovered some ways to stay vegetarian during holidays. When we think of 4^th of July, we imagine fireworks, images of the flag, and barbeques. For 4^th of July, we can stay vegetarian at a barbeque whether it's at home or at a friend's house.

So you've decided to host a barbeque for your family. If you are all vegetarian or vegan, you probably already know many good barbeque recipes; however, things get tricky when some are vegetarian and some are not. If there are mixed eating habits, it is important to reserve one side of the grill to the vegetarians and one side to the meat eaters. If your barbeque grill is too small for this, you can just scrape the grill before cooking the vegetarian items. One good thing about a family with mixed eating habits is that many of the vegetarian items will be loved by the meat eaters. Everyone will like grilled corn on the cob and vegetable kabobs. If your plan is burgers and hot dogs, vegetarian burgers (particularly the black bean) are lovely with vegetarian hot dogs (yes, they do exist and they aren't bad). Using Portobello mushrooms as a "burger" patty is also a fun twist. If the plan is steak or chicken, barbequed tofu is great for the vegetarians.

Barbeques are never complete without potato salad, fruit salad, coleslaw, and chips. These are all vegetarian, but vegans can use mustard instead of mayonnaise or use vegan mayonnaise (yes, that also exists). Chips with ranch dip are wonderful, but it is good to include a vegan salsa. I also suggest making a vegetable platter or tossed salad with both ranch and vinaigrette dressing.

These are all adjustments you can make at home, but what if you are going to a friend's house for a 4^th of July barbeque? Odds are they won't offer tofu or veggie burgers. They will hopefully have a vegetable platter, various salads, and chips. If you can fill up on the cold dishes, go for it. If they have grilled some vegetables, feel free to eat only those. If the veggies have touched some meat, don't feel guilty for still eating them. However, if you want to be completely strict with your vegetarianism or veganism, then I suggest this: bring a dish to the party! Many people do this and no one would get offended. Bring extra vegetables, vegan potato salad, vegetable kabobs, or even a tofu casserole. I suggest eating at least some of their food, but it's okay if you fill up on your own dish.

Now, what if someone asks, "Why don't you try the steak?" You could give them a bunch of animal rights statistics, but I personally feel it is best to talk about that when people aren't eating. What you can do is simply say, "I stopped eating meat." Or you could also tell them that you are on a strict diet without mentioning the details. Being a vegetarian or vegan is more convenient than many think, although there are adjustments needed at some social events. Whether for health or your love of animals, your choice to be vegetarian or vegan is important, so don't feel peer pressured to have a hot dog because everyone else is...besides, we can eat vegetarian hot dogs!