Two For Tuesday: BBQ Seitan Ribs and Deli Style Macaroni Salad

BBQ Seitan Ribs from The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions

Well, I missed Meatless Monday, so I figured I'd give you two for Tuesday!  With Summer almost in full swing, it's time to dust off those grills and dining al fresco.

BBQ Seitan Ribs (and Giveaway RESULTS!)

BBQ Seitan Ribs (complete with Cedar Bones!) found on page 140 of
The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions.  Photo by Celine Steen.

I am a complete sucker for the small town, idyllic idea of a country hoe-down or county fair. Unfortunately, I live in Orange County, California, and if you've seen the ad for our county fair, you'd see that the romantic visions of a barn dance, red and white gingham tablecloths, hay rides, banjo plucking bands, under the big blue sky, in a big green meadow are just that...romantic visions.

So, I have my own hoe-downs.  Me and my husband in my backyard.  (And yes, I do own an old wooden wagon wheel!)  One of my favorite things to throw on the grill is a big ol' slab of Seitan Ribs, complete with cedar bones.

If you like to cook outdoors, leave a comment below telling me your favorite foods to eat or cook outside!  I will choose 3 comments at random to receive your choice of any of my 5 cookbooks!  Yes, I will ship internationally.  I will choose the winners on Saturday night. (After I get home from the fair.  Ha!)  I only ask one favor...if you enter this giveaway, please check back to see if you have won, otherwise, I have no idea how to get your book to you.


CONTEST NOW OVER.  WINNERS ARE #28, 21, and 2.  CONGRATULATIONS VIC, ERIN, and BETH!

#2  Vic Robinson July 18, 2012 11:08 AM

These look fantastic! I really like the unique addition of steak sauce! Yum!

#21 Erin C. July 18, 2012 4:27 PM

I usually go for a simple tofu/veggie kabob. Once I did pizza on the grill and that was yummy!!!

#28  Beth July 19, 2012 8:17 AM

Corn all the way! Dang it, I wish we had a grill.... those ribs looks INSANE.

Please send me an email with your mailing address and choice of cookbook to joni AT justthefood DOT com so I can send you your book ASAP!

Barbecue Seitan Ribs

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

Jason Ellis Show Update

Sorry it took so long guys...things have been pretty crazy up in this joint. Anyhow, I think my appearance on the Jason Ellis Show went rather well. My husband says I played it safe, but I guess that's better than sounding like a crasshole. But in the end, I did get a , "Red Dragons!" so I guess that says it all.

I brought Jason some Barbecue Baby Back ribs, and a couple of vegan pizzas I made from scratch. He seemed pretty stoked, especially on the pizza. He even twittered about it later in the week and posted a picture of his daughter enjoying the pepperoni pizza I made for him.



Here's a couple of pics of the food I brought for him:

Seitan Ribs with Cedar Bones (Picture by Celine Steen)
Pizzas:


(TVP Pepperoni (recipe below) with vegetable tomato sauce and yellow and white Daiya on a THIS crust)


(Seitan BBQ ribs, Orange Chipotle BBQ Sauce, garlic, onions, cilantro, and yellow and white Daiya on the same crust)
Here's the recipe for the Pepperoni Topping. It will be featured in Celine and my next book, The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions.

Pepperoni Topping for Pizza

1 cup (96 g) dry TVP granules
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon (6 g) ground black pepper, depending on your heat preference
1 tablespoon (7 g) paprika
1 tablespoon (8 g) garlic powder
1 teaspoon anise seed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or dried chipotle powder
1 cup (235 ml) water
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons (30 ml) liquid smoke

In a microwave safe bowl, mix together TVP with all of the herbs and spices.
Stir in water, oil and liquid smoke.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high for about 6 minutes.
Carefully remove from microwave, and allow to cool enough to handle.
Alternately, mix spices together with TVP.
Bring water to a boil, add in oil and smoke, stir into TVP and spice mixture, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and use to top your pizza, or stuff a calzone!

Happy Father's Day! Have some Ribz!

I totally stole the idea from Tracy over at A Veg*n For Dinner. She has some amazing seitan creations. I admit that I am not as "careful" about my presentation of these ribz as she was, but I thought these ribz were fantastic. Although I did steal her method for using "bonz," I came up with my own recipe for the "meat." I baked mine on Saturday night and threw them into the fridge. On Sunday, I threw the whole rack on the grill to warm 'em up and give them an even smokier flavor.



Chipotle Barbecue Ribz on Cedar Bonz
Dry Ingredients
3 cups gluten flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp granulated onion
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp chipotle powder (This makes 'em pretty spicy, feel free to reduce the heat if you need to.)
6 1 inch cedar bones (optional)*
Wet Ingredients
+/- 1 cup veggie broth**
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Bragg's or soy sauce
1/3 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used a chipotle hickory flavor)
extra bbq sauce for basting
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and knead about 5 minutes. Let mixture rest about 20 minutes. Pour a generous amount of barbecue sauce into the bottom of the baking pan. If using bonz, divide your "dough" into 2 equal pieces. Press one piece into the bottom of the pan, until it is in the shape of a large rectangle. Lay in the bonz equally apart from eachother, press the other piece of dough onto the top of the bonz, making sure to press in between the bonz so that the seitan sticks together. If you are not using the bonz, simply spread your dough into a nice flat rectangle. Spread another layer of barbecue sauce all over the top. Cover the entire pan tightly with foil and bake for about 75-90 minutes.

*If you can get your hands on a food safe cedar plank, cut it into 1" bonz uzing a saw, and then sand down the edges. Soak the bonz in warm water for at least an hour before use.
**If you find you mixture too dry, just add in a bit more broth.