Being vegan is tough. Being vegan at a family barbecue is TORTURE. First, you have that one relative that points out how you can't eat the wonderful food served and then the one that makes a commentary about how they would NEVER be vegan. Best case scenario: you binge on the hummus and veggies. Worst case scenario: you eat chips. To prevent ruining these fun family days, here are 4 things that a vegan should bring to every barbecue.

1. Veggie Kabobs

These wonderful veggies on a stick will sate your appetite for the smoky barbecue flavor that dominates summer. You can brush them with any of your favorite vegan sauces. Also, it gives the "Grill Dad" at the party something to grill for you. Here is a link to homemade kabobs although many grocery stores carry them premade.

2. Vegan Sausage

Now, these can be either a hit or miss depending on your palate. However, I have tried the chipotle flavored ones by Field Roast Grain Meat Co. and found them not too bad. We grilled them on the grill and they cooked rather quickly. They were a little spicy but still decent. I think that these would have been good on a bun but we ate them plain.

3. BBQ Jackfruit

As a person who loves barbecue sauce and hates eating odd concoctions of soy and gluten, this was such an amazing find for me. The only ingredients in this is jackfruit and barbecue sauce. AMAZING. I used the brand shown in the picture and really enjoyed it. Jackfruit is such an underused crop but is now being used to combat world hunger.

4. Asparagus

Recently I borrowed my neighbor's grill to grill up some of these green beauties. We put them on aluminum foil on the grill with olive oil, salt, and rosemary on top. Again this is a "Grill Dad" pleaser and oh so delicious. It is so simple to make and gives you the nice smoky and grill flavor that we love.

In addition, there are also vegan party staples such as chips with guac/salsa, white bean and regular hummus, plain and BBQ chips, fruit, and salad. The list above gives you some ideas to bulk up the meal! This is in no way an exhaustive list and I would love to see in the comments any other ideas that my fellow vegans have! Happy Grilling!