15 Plant-Based Recipes for the Perfect July Fourth BBQ

Posted on 06/29/2021 by former employee Joe Loria

Eat less meat, America.

What is the Fourth of July without hamburgers and hot dogs?

Well, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes, that’s a real thing), on Independence Day, Americans will eat 50 million hot dogs. That’s enough dogs to stretch from DC to LA more than five times.

As for burgers and steaks, a Nielsen report from 2017 found that Americans stocked up in the two weeks before Independence Day, with people spending more than $800 million on beef alone during the two weeks leading up to the July 4 weekend.

Overconsuming meat is about as American as apple pie. It’s why the United States has earned the title of being the largest country in the world that eats the most meat, something we shouldn’t be proud of. That’s because this overconsumption is fueling an unsustainable and cruel industry. The modern industrial meat industry is made up of just a handful of multinational corporations that turn massive profits at the expense of workers, the planet, wildlife, and farmed animals.

Fortunately, by eating less meat we can transform the food system to be more just, equitable, and kind. Instead of relying on massive conglomerates to supply our protein, we can shift to smaller-scale family farmers that use more sustainable and humane practices or switch to more plant-based options instead of meat.

So this Fourth, try adding some plant-based options to your family’s BBQ and help transform America’s food system. To get you started, check out these 15 delicious animal-free recipes!