Memorial Day BBQ
Celebrate the season with this plant-powered Memorial Day BBQ menu! These easy, vibrant dishes are perfect for a crowd—and entirely vegan.
🥔 Crispy Smashed Potato Salad
A crowd-pleasing BBQ side that’s crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and tossed with fresh herbs, lemon, and scallions for a zesty finish.
Ingredients:
1½ lbs baby yellow potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil (I use Graza sizzle to roast the potatoes)
1 tsp garlic powder
Sea salt and pepper
¼ cup chopped scallions
2 tbsp chopped shallots
2 tbsp chopped dill
2 tbsp chopped chives
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
Optional: drizzle of tahini or vegan sour cream
Instructions:
Boil potatoes in salted water until fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
Let cool slightly, then smash gently with a glass on a lined baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Roast at 425°F for 25–30 minutes until golden and crispy.
Once cooled, top with shallots, scallions, herbs, lemon zest, and juice. Top with an optional drizzle.
🍋Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad with Basil & Mint
This pasta salad is bright, lemony and dressed with basil and mint. Add crumbled vegan feta if you desire — it’s perfect for warm weather barbecues and family gatherings.
Ingredients:
1½ cups dry orzo (gluten-free if needed)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup Follow Your Heart vegan feta crumbles
⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp chopped shallots
For the lemon-herb dressing: 3 tbsp olive oil (I use Graza drizzle for dressings), juice and zest of 1 lemon,1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp white or red wine vinegar, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 tsp sea salt and cracked black pepper
Instructions:
Cook orzo according to package instructions, then rinse and let cool.
In a large bowl, combine orzo, tomatoes, feta, herbs and shallots.
Drizzle with lemon-herb dressing and add crumbled feta just before serving. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!
🥗 Couscous Crunch Salad
This salad is light, lemony, and packed with crunch from fresh veggies and chickpeas. Bonus: it's easy to make gluten-free with quinoa!
Ingredients:
1 cup dry couscous (or quinoa for gluten-free)
1 cup boiling water
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
For the roasted chickpeas - 1tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp each of paprika, garlic powder and onion powder
1 cup diced cucumber
½ cup chopped red and yellow bell peppers for color
¼ cup chopped parsley
For dressing: 1/2 cup olive oil (I use Graza drizzle for dressings), 2 tsp Dijon mustard, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp dried oregano, salt and pepper.
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Cook couscous according to package instructions. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and let it cool slightly.
Make Crispy Chickpeas: Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss chickpeas with olive oil, salt and paprika if using. Roast for 20-24 minutes until golden and crisp, shaking halfway through.
In a large bowl, combine couscous, cucumbers, bell peppers, red onion and herbs.
Drizzle the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Add crispy chickpeas just before serving and toss to combine!
🍞 Homemade No-Knead Garlic & Herb Bread
A soft and savory loaf baked with fresh herbs—ideal for soaking up dressings or pairing with delicious roasted veggies.
Ingredients:
3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, rosemary)
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 cup warm water (not hot)
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix flour, yeast, salt, herbs and garlic powder.
Stir in warm water until a sticky, soft dough forms. The key is that you want it to be sticky, but not runny like cake batter. If too dry, add more water. If too runny, add more flour. You may need to play around with it a bit!
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it rise for 3 hours.
After 3 hours, it should have doubled in size and should feel a bit wobbly when you touch it. It’s ready to bake!
Preheat the oven to 450°F. If you’re using a dutch oven, put it in with the lid on and preheat for 30 minutes prior to baking. (If you don’t have a dutch oven, disregard.)
Scrape out the dough onto a floured surface. Sprinkle top with 1/2 tbsp of flour.
Using a dough scraper, fold the sides inwards (about 6 folds) to roughly form a roundish shape. It doesn’t need to be molded or perfect!
Transfer dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and flip the dough upside down onto the paper (seam side down, smooth side up).
If you are using a dutch oven, remove it from the oven. Use paper to place the dough into the pot, place lid on. Bake for 30 minutes covered and then 12 minutes uncovered or until deep golden and crispy. If no dutch oven, skip to the next step.
If you aren’t using a dutch oven, here’s my simple method: Boil 2 cups of water on the stove. Once the water is boiling and the oven is preheated, pour boiling water into a metal pan. Take the dough on the parchment paper and place onto a baking sheet. Working quickly, place the bread on the top rack of the oven, then place the metal pan with boiling water directly under it so that the steam rises, and close the oven door.
Bake 40 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Cool before slicing.
🍓 Red, White & Blue Shortcakes
The perfect festive dessert! Fluffy vegan biscuits layered with maple-sweetened berries and coconut whipped cream.
For the Biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1:1 GF blend)
1 tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
½ cup cold vegan butter, cubed
¾ cup plant-based milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
For the Berries:
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 cup blueberries
1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
For the Topping:
Coconut whipped cream (I use Cocowhip)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Mix dry biscuit ingredients, then cut in butter until crumbly.
Stir in milk and vinegar to form dough.
Pat into 1-inch thick dough, cut into circles.
Bake 12–15 minutes, until golden.
Macerate berries with maple syrup.
Assemble: slice biscuit, layer with whipped cream and berries.
Enjoy this full lineup of flavor-forward, feel-good dishes this holiday weekend. Don’t forget to tag @kellysgreenkitchen_ if you make any of these!
