It isn’t a true barbecue without all of the traditional sides, everyone knows that. And this year I kicked it up a notch with my take on homemade coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni salad and last but not least, skillet baked beans. And you know the funny thing about all of these side salads (besides the beans of course)? They all use the same main ingredients: Veganiese/mayo, mustard and sugar. Easy breezy.
We kicked off our barbecue week on Monday with the best ever grilled veggie burgers and peppercorn crusted beef burgers (which are to-die-for, if I do say so myself…well okay, I’m taking the Mr.’s word for it on the beef burgers). And yesterday, we shared a few of our top must-haves for anyone hosting the barbecue this Memorial Day weekend. But today may be my favorite of all simply because I could live off of sides alone, and a barbecue always has THE BEST sides.
The thing about all of these side salads is it’s really all about how you like it, and you can adjust the recipes accordingly to make them creamier/spicier/soupier/etc. truly making each one your own. For example I like my coleslaw like KFC‘s…(#noshame) nice and dressing loaded and my potato salad more on the mustardy side.
And lastly, the only side that doesn’t include copious amounts of mayo…my skillet baked beans. They’re just as divine as they sound. There’s something about the sweet BBQ flavor alongside the tangy side salads that’s just second to none. This year, I chose the the cast-iron skillet over the Big Green Egg rather than the oven, and being a vegetarian, I actually smoked the bacon and put it on the side for guests to add if they prefer. I also changed up my recipe a bit this year by adding green peppers and onions, which I hadn’t done before. But after reading and taste testing a few different recipes, I decided it was a great addition to an already winning recipe.
Stay tuned as we round out our barbecue week here on the blog, just in time for all of your Memorial Day party dreams! Truly, MKR
