Summer Grilling with Lightlife Smart Dogs!

It's very rare that I agree to do a sponsored post here on Just the Food. So rare, in fact, that this is the first one I have done in ten-plus years of blogging! Sure, I have received sample products and cookbooks to review over the years, but I have never done a completely sponsored post. Why? Because, for me, I have to REALLY be in love with a product for me to partner with them. When I was contacted by Lightlife Foods to participate in their summer grilling series featuring Smart Dogs, how could I say no?

I absolutely love summertime in the LBC. In sunny Southern California, and especially in Long Beach, summer means barbecue, hanging out with friends outdoors, and parties in the park. I barely cook inside, at all, from the minute the time change gives us longer days, in our house, we are all about the grill. So when Lightlife offered to send me a mini grill, tools, a cooler, condiments and enough moolah to grab all the Smart Dogs we would need to get through the entire summer...we were STOKED!

Carving Board Vegan Pastrami (I promise it's not meat!)

Oh, Pastrami! You are SO SALTY and savory and fatty and just a tad sweet and taste magnificent with a big thick smear of deli mustard and provolone on toasty sourdough. My husband and I used to travel far and wide for a giant pastrami sandwich in our pre-vegan days, and the both of us really had a hankering for nostalgia.

We set out to recreate this old favorite at home using seitan and traditional pastrami spices. It had to juicy. It had to be tangy. It had to have that peppered crust. And...it had to have that signature pink marbling. After all, we eat with our eyes first, and this had to look as authentic as possible. We wanted it to be like those artisan carving board sandwiches you see on all the food shows. You know, the ones they serve up at all the hipster gastro pubs.

Except ours, well, ours had to be vegan.

Ribs for the 4th of July!

Here's a few recipes to help you celebrate Independence day with outdoor barbecue bliss!  Enjoy!

Barbecue Ribs

Barbecue Ribs (page 140 of The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions) Photo by Celine Steen

Yes! Even vegans can enjoy a big ol' rack of barbecue ribs. Wow the skeptics with these remarkably realistic ribs complete with "bones"!

3 cups (432 g) vital wheat gluten flour
1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour
1/4 cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons (16 g) onion powder
1 tablespoon (8 g) garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups (470 ml) water
1/2 cup (125 ml) barbecue sauce, store-bought or homemade
1/4 cup (60 ml) steak sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) liquid smoke
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
2 cups (470 ml) additional barbecue sauce for baking and grilling
6 bones (See note below)
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).
Line a 9×13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking pan with foil or parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients.
Add wet ingredients to the dry and knead for 5 minutes.
Let mixture rest for 20 minutes.
Shape mixture into a large rectangle, to fit in the pan, with at least an inch of space around the edges.
Push the bones through the mixture, at equal distances from each other.
Pour additional 3/4 cup (180 ml) barbecue sauce into the bottom of the baking pan.
Place “rack of ribs” in the pan.
Spread another 3/4 cup (180 ml) barbecue sauce over the top.
Cover pan tightly with foil and bake for 90 minutes.
You can enjoy these as is, or refrigerate for later use.
To reheat, fire up the grill to give ribs extra smoky flavor and grill marks. Brush with 1/2 cup (125 ml) even more barbecue sauce while grilling!

Finger Lickin' Good: Disposable bamboo chopsticks or even Popsicle sticks work wonders here, but if
you want to kick it up a notch, try food-grade cedar cut into 1/2-inch x 6-inch (1.27 x 15-cm) “bones,” makingsure to sand down any rough edges. Whichever you choose, start by soaking them in a mixture of 2 cups (470 ml) warm water mixed with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) liquid smoke to add some smoky flavor to the ribs. For an edible set of bones, try taro root. Although this method will yield edible “bones,” they will be more flimsy after cooking, thus requiring a fork and knife for eating.

Yield: 6 large ribs

Orange Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Orange Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Oh, so sweet! But wait, what’s that there kick? Ohhh, the smoky chipotle has emerged from the sweetness to leave your tongue warm…not burning.

2 tablespoons (30 g) extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion (about 6 ounces, 168 g), roughly chopped
1 tablespoon (15 g) minced garlic
24 ounces (672 g) tomato sauce
6 ounces (168 g) tomato paste
1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh orange juice
1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, tightly packed
1/4 cup (80 g) grape jelly (NOT JAM! JELLY! This is Joni’s Gramma Jo’s secret ingredient!)
2 tablespoons (12 g) ground chipotle powder
In a stock pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium high heat.
Add onion and garlic and saute until transluscent and fragrant, and just beginning to brown.
Add in remaining ingredients and stir. Bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and simmer
for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve as you would any barbecue sauce.
If not using right away, place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Should last about a week in
the fridge, or freeze for later use.

Yield: About 4 cups

Old Fashioned Deli Style Macaroni Salad

Deli Style Macaroni Salad

This is the kind of macaroni salad you could EASILY serve to an omnivorous group at a potluck or get togetheror Saturday afternoon barbecue, without anyone ever questioning the veganocity. It’s chock full of crunchyveggies and coated in a creamy, tangy dressing.

1 pound (454 g) elbow macaroni, prepared according to package directions
1 bell pepper (red, green, or yellow), cored, seeded, and diced
1 cup (160 g) diced red onion
1 cup (48 g diced green onion or chives
1 cup (100 g) chopped celery
1 cup (110 g) shredded carrot
1/4 cup (60 g) sweet pickle relish
1 cup (224 g) vegan mayonnaise, store-bought or homemade
1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons (30 g) prepared dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried dill, or 1 tablespoon fresh
Salt and pepper to taste
While pasta is boiling, prep vegetables and prepare dressing.
To make the dressing, whisk together mayo with cider vinegar, mustard, and dill.
Once pasta is cooked, strain and run under cold water to cool. Return to the pot.
Add chopped veggies, relish, and dressing to the cooled pasta and toss to combine.
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Yield: 16 servings

These fake meats might just be okay

Admittedly, I have never bought a package of Yves, Tofurkey (or any other brand for that matter) deli style fake meat slices. After my trip to Portland, having seen them on many menus, and still never giving them a try, I thought to myself, "Why not?" Afterall, it's been in the triple digits here, and cooking just didn't seem like a chore I wanted to deal with. So, I bought a package of Yves "Salami" style slices, as well as a package of Yves "Roasted Turkey" style slices. With a trusty jar of Vegenaise, a few leaves of cold, crispy iceberg lettuce, some Bubbies garlic pickles, an avocado, and some molasses sweetened wheat bread, I created a sammy that was quite delicious. I can't say that these fakies tasted like the real thing, and that's certainly okay with me, but the fact that there was something other than veggies on my sandwich made me a happy girl!