My sweetie is from Wisconsin and once upon a time loved the traditional cookout fare of beer-boiled brats. I saw this recipe in Cuisine at Home and immediately interpreted it to a veggie version. I love that it incorporates all the elements of a bratwurst sandwich and tops it off with spicy beer vinaigrette.

Beer Brat Salad

Ingredients:

4 Bratwurst. (I love Tofurkey or Field Roast brand)
1 small head red cabbage
1 small head green cabbage
4 thick slices rye bread
1 medium red onion, thick sliced
1 tbsp. oil or cooking spray
Beer Vinaigrette, recipe below

Beer Vinaigrette:

1 cup beer (use whatever you like to drink)
5 tbsp. horseradish
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. agave nectar
salt/pepper

Quarter the cabbage heads and thickly slice each quarter in 4 parts. Place each quarter of cabbage in a foil packet and drizzle with 2 tbsp. beer vinaigrette and a small pinch of salt and pepper. Continue to make all of the packets of cabbage.

Heat a grill pan or grill, lightly coat the grill grates with 1 tsp. oil to prevent the items from sticking. The easiest way to do this is place 1 tsp. of oil on a paper towel and coat the individual grates. Lightly coat or spray the slices of red onion and rye bread. Place the packets, bread, and onion on the grill. The cabbage packets will take about 10-15 minutes, the bread about 4 minutes and the onion about 5 minutes. Flip halfway through.

Use the remaining oil and lightly coat the brats to prevent sticking. Add to the grill and cook 3-4 minutes per side.

Remove all the items off the grill and cut into bite size pieces. Place into a large bowl and toss with the remaining vinaigrette.