Dairy-Free and Meatless Tailgating or Indoor Menu Ideas! – One Green Planet

Author Bio

When Rhea became vegan, there were no places in her Bronx neighborhood to eat, so…

When Rhea became vegan, there were no places in her Bronx neighborhood to eat, so she learned to cook, mostly by watching TV cooking shows, especially Christina Pirello and Rachael Ray.  That led to the creation of The “V” Word website, which focuses on vegan versions of favorite, familiar foods. In addition, Rhea has written several e-cookbooks, which are available on her website. Rhea hopes to spread the “V” Word to bring more compassion into the world, and it is her dream to become the vegan Rachael Ray. Read more about Rhea Parsons

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It’s fall, and that means weekends are dedicated to football. Whether you enjoy the game indoors on TV or tailgating outdoors, you need lots of food to munch on during the action. There have to be fun finger foods, warm and hearty dishes, satisfying sandwiches and of course, decadent desserts. Planning a football get-together or tailgating menu might seem intimidating if you want to keep it meat- and dairy-free.

The good news is that you can serve all the usual favorite foods everyone is familiar with in plant-based versions as well as some new delicious dishes that will be more exciting than the game. Get some tips in How to Plan a Winning Vegan Super Bowl Party. Then take a look at these most amazing party recipes. With these amazing tips and mouthwatering dishes (plus all the football puns I can think of) and, you are sure to score a touchdown with your friends. Goal!

1. The Kickoff

The most important dishes at any fun get-together are the appetizers and starters. Keep the food fun, familiar and portable so everyone can move around and you can keep one hand on the remote in case you need to pause or rewind. Spreads and dips are easy and delicious. Try this Great Northern White Bean Dip, Buffalo Cauliflower Dip, Edamame Wasabi Bean Dip, Low-Fat Pizza Hummus and Spreadable Herb Hemp Cashew Cheese.

There are some starters that your mind may jump to automatically, the kind found on bar and restaurant menus like wings, poppers and potato skins. Fortunately, it’s possible to create vegan versions of anything and everything. Serve people’s favorites like these Vegan Mozzarella Sticks, Buffalo Tofu Fries, Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, Sticky Peanut Orange Cauliflower Wings, Wonton Nachos with Edamame Guacamole, Tex-Mex Twice Baked Potato Skins, and Double Stuffed Jalapeno Skins. Learn How to Make Epic BBQ Tofu Wings and How to Spice Up Veggie Wings with 7 Amazing Sauces. For even more appetizer recipes and ideas, see Simple and Flavorful Vegan Appetizer Ideas To Take to Your Next Celebration.

2. Super Bowls

Some of the best meals come in one dish – the bowl. It can be soup, stew, salad or chili. There’s just something about digging into a bowl filled with layers of flavor that’s warm and comforting. At a party, having food that fits into one bowl makes it easier to eat while cheering on the game. Soups can even be served in mugs or steins to make eating them even more easy and fun. Try this Coconut and Mulligatawny Soup, Autumn Vegetable Soup with Parsley Pesto and this seasonal Cream of Pumpkin and Apple Soup. For hearty and satisfying chili, make this Unbelievably Simple One Pot Seitan Chili or this Red Quinoa Black Bean Beer Chili. This Easy Pressure Cooker Barbecue Lentil Stew, Vegan Cioppino, and Skillet Cheesy Enchilada Stew will have everyone cheering. Offer some lighter fare with salads like this Lemon Herb Pasta Salad, Green Bean and Wild Rice Salad and Buffalo Chickpea Caesar Salad.

3. The Handoff

When you’re watching the game and one hand is holding a drink, you only have one hand left to eat with. That’s when hand-held food comes in handy (no pun intended). Burgers are amazing hand-held foods like these Black Pepper Burgers, Veggie “Big Mac” Burgers, and Double Black Bean Tofu Cheeseburgers (okay, some of these may require both hands). Sandwiches are party must-haves so make these Sloppy Joes with Simple Slaw, BBQ Pulled Veggie Sandwiches, Crispy Cauliflower Po’ Boys, and Chickpea Salad Sliders.

Other fun hand-held foods include these Jamaican “Beef” Patties with Cheese, Crispy Lasagna Pockets, Southwest Smoky Rolled Tacos, Mini-Vegan Party Pizzas, and Bengali Samosas. For more ideas, check out 7 Super Vegan Sandwiches for the Super Bowl.

4. Game Balls

Can we talk about football and not talk about balls? Of course not. Veggie meatballs are so much fun. You can make them mini-sized with cute toothpicks stuck in them or put them in sandwiches for an indulgent hero like this BeanBall Sub with Marinara and Greens. Get creative with meatballs – anything you can use to make veggie burgers can become veggie meatballs. Try these Seitan Meatballs with Homemade Tomato Sauce, Barbecue Apricot Meatballs, Sweetballs, Lentil Mushroom Walnut Balls, Mozzarella-Stuffed Eggplant Meatballs, Buffalo Tempeh Meatballs, and Cheezy BeanBalls. Learn How to Make All Kinds of Vegan Meatballs.

5. Crowd Pleasers

The best entrees that can feed a crowd usually come in big pans. It’s much easier to make one or two pans of something decadent and let people ladle some onto their plates. Go Mexican with these Black Bean, Corn, and Red Rice Enchiladas or Italian with this Show-Stopping Lentil and Eggplant Lasagna. Offer everyone’s favorite dish – mac and cheese – with a twist like this Buffalo Mac and Cheese Crumble or this Green Chile Mac and Cheese. Make a pan of Balsamic BBQ Seitan or Tempeh Ribs, Mexican Shepherd’s Pie, Spicy Potato Casserole with Tofu Chorizo and this Comforting Kale Pesto Casserole.

6. Side Lines

We may call them side dishes, but we all know that many of them can hold their own in the spotlight. After all, it’s not really the food that makes it a side dish but the portion size. Fries are everyone’s favorite side so make Rutabaga Fries With Basil Mayo, Eggplant Fries with Chipotle Aioli or any of these 20 Veggie Fries. Read How to Make Perfectly Crispy French Fries Without Frying in Oil.

Prefer onion rings? Make these Crispy, Crunchy Cornmeal, and Pepita Onion Rings. Other sides you want on the menu are these Cheesy Sweet Potato Tots, Oven-Fried Pickles, Beer-Battered Artichoke Hearts, Simple Mashed Potato Waffles, Skinny Carrot Fritters, Chili-Coated Plantain Crisps with Lime Ketchup, Sesame Zucchini Fritters, Smoky Avocado Fries and Super Flax Green Bean Fries.

7. End Zone

Mmm … dessert. Everyone looks forward to dessert. At a get-together, you should have a variety of desserts including something for people who don’t like chocolate (yes, those people exist). Desserts are more fun and easier to serve when they are individually-sized. Try these Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes, Peanut, Walnut and Ginger Cookies, Chocolate Marshmallow Popcorn Bars, Butterfinger Brittle, Raw Apple Cider Doughnuts, Black Bean Peanut Butter Brownies, and Pumpkin Peanut Butter Truffles. These Mini Matcha Cheesecakes, Coco-Choc Bounty Tarts, Vanilla Bean Blueberry Peach Hand Pies, and Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites will make you a champ in anyone’s book.

Even if you’re not into football, these recipes are a great reason to invite over some friends and spend the weekend having fun. With good friends and good food, your party or tailgate will be a winner!