Your alarm starts beeping at 8 a.m. and you want to snooze it, but your roommate starts blasting music. Then, she starts shouting, “Wake up, it’s game day!” Normally you’d lie in bed contemplating skipping class because you have the desire to sleep in, but on game day this isn’t the case.
A little later, you and your friends put on your best game day apparel and decide to start your long walk toward the tailgating fields. You haven’t eaten any food yet to ensure maximum room for tailgate food, so on the walk, your friends start dreaming about their favorite tailgate treats they hope to find waiting for them upon their arrival. Their mouths start to water as they fantasize about warm buffalo chicken dip, fresh bacon cheeseburgers, walking tacos and steamy pulled pork sandwiches. It all sounds delicious, until you remember that you’re a vegetarian and you can’t eat any of the foods they just described, no matter how delectable and delicious they sound.
Have no fear. There are still plenty of scrumptious vegetation treats to devour at a game day tailgate that taste so good you’ll forget they don’t contain any meat:
1. Texas Caviar Taco Dip
This taco dip is always a popular hit at tailgates. It’s a beautiful example of bringing vegetarians and meat-eaters together. Everyone tends to gather around it, dipping their chips in as they talk about predictions for the upcoming game.
2. Macaroni Salad
If you’re searching for something a little more filling than taco dip, macaroni salad is your answer. As your other friends munch on a meat lover’s pasta salad, you can satisfy your craving with an appetizing macaroni salad. It’ll hit the spot as you devour it with your tailgate beverage of choice.
3. Tomato Pie
This classic alternative to pizza unites meat eaters and non-meat eaters on game day. You can enjoy it as you and your friends bite into it and taste the richness of the tomatoes mixed into the dough. Act cautiously, though, because if it’s a whiteout game you don’t want to spill red sauce on your favorite white T-shirt!
4. Veggie Burgers
If you just want to mesh with the rest of the crowd at a tailgate, try eating a veggie burger. It looks like a real burger and tastes like one, too! People sometimes hear the word “veggie” and associate it with “disgusting,” but some of my friends have actually tried veggie burgers and preferred them. The greatest part about them is that if the grill runs out of gas, you can still eat your burger raw because there’s no raw meat in it. You can also eat it with one hand so you still have another hand open to play stump.
5. Spicy Pretzels
Another snack alternative to satisfy your cravings on game day is spicy pretzels. These homemade snacks taste delicious and will leave you licking your fingers for more.
6. Puppy Chow Mix
If you feel hungry for some dessert (even though most desserts qualify as vegetarian), puppy chow mix is the sweetest. It combines sweet and savory tastes of chocolate, peanut butter and pretzels for an unbeatable party in your mouth. You can even dress it up with edible decorations so it matches your team’s colors.
These snacks, entrees and desserts will ensure that on game day at a tailgate, you’ll never feel hungry. Every craving will be satisfied just the same as if you could eat meat, so don’t stress the next time you venture to a tailgate worrying that you won’t be able to find a meat-free food around you!