BBQ RIBz - SEITAN :)
Morning wt=170
Breakfast: 2lg shred wht bisquits, 2oz strawberries, 1oz blueberries,Csoymilk
Lunch: 1 Lt whole wheat toast + 2T Sunbutter + tsp grnd flax + cinnamon
Snack: valencia orange, later-1 oz sesame sticks, later-1oz mixed nuts
MENU:
BBQ RIBz, corn on cobb, salad w/ cucumber, radish, onion, carrot, cherry tomatoes, trail mix -I know it looks dry because the dressing has not been put on yet(Itallian), oh, I put Molly McButter on the corn, but it is not vegan, so pick your own choice, like maybe earth balance sread. Watermelon planned for evening treat :)
So, about a month or so ago, I found links to these marvelous things made from vital wheat gluten (seitan), called RIBZ. I delayed making them because I was afraid I'd ruin them, and I kept studying different methods of making seitan and never quite getting in there and doing it. Rachdminor actually sprung forth and made some, and other gals followed-all with success(!), and so I got real brave and went for it! I can't believe how immensely easy it was! The 2 biggest hints when you use vital wheat glutan is to mix all the dry ingredients well first, then, in small bowl, mix all the wet ones together well, and add all the wet to the dry ingredience, all at once, and minimize the mixing as much as possible, no kneading and make sure any water is COLD, not warm nor hot.
Kneading and heat activate the gluton=tough.
To the dry mix, I added sea salt & pepper, and a T of Kroger Grill Time Seasing-BBQ - it looked nice and chunky and hot, and I didn't see any animal ingredients. That was mixed INTO THE DRY, so there would be BBQ flavor from the inside, too.
I think it's a good idea to use some kind of veggie broth, instead of water, I have found a 'no-chicken broth' and if I find a no-beef broth, I'll definitely replace the water with that! UPDATE: I RECENTLY FOUND ORGANIC MUSROOM BROTH BY PACIFIC, AND WILL USE THAT ON NEXT BATCH. Even a plain veggie broth would have to impart some flavor for the seitan itself. The nut butter I used was tahini (I like things made with/from sesame because of the calcium it supplies). I put it in a measuring cup first and slowly stirred in a little cold/room temperature liquid at a time, so it was blended perfectly. Put all the wet into the dry ingredients and stir as little as possible till mixed. (remember no warm/hot liquid, and no kneading)
Then, I just baked mine like shown on the daily dish site, and put them in a big pan filled with BBQ sauce and took out to the grill. I kept spooning the sauce from the dish over them as I turned them, every 10-15 minutes. Now look at them, the black parts are the caramelized sauce, and it may look like they are just burned and ruined, but those are the ones everyone will end up fighting over! Oh, we made them yesterday, because everyone said they were better the next day. So when they cooled I just put them into a huge freezer bag and spooned all leftover sauce from the pan I took them to the grill in, into the bag, and put in the fridge. (Remember, you can use the sauce from the precooked ribs, because it's not meat, so no contamination :)
My omnivour hubby was thrilled with them, and said it was the best meal he had all week, after being gone on a business trip and eating in the finest restaurants! Links to recipes and videos below my pics:
grrrrr... see that little edge on the bottom rib, I'm sitting here realizing that pulled from MY section when I cut and pulled them apart, that's my bite! My teeth are just wanting to sink into that edge and nip it off! I will be making sure the rest of them are charred when I reheat them for another meal - we got 4 servings, so for 2 people, that's 2 meals. There pics are better than mine, if I had realized my pic came out so dark, I'd taken more, but it seems we were gnashing at the bit to get at 'em! Here's those links:
http://28cooks.blogspot.com/2008/04/famous-bbq-ribz-ive-been-vegaquarian.html
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/05/barbecued-seitan-ribz.html
VIDEO:
http://everydaydish.tv/Videopages/Rib%27z.html
http://www.veganchef.com/bbseitan.htm
EVENING TREAT: We'll split this cannonball watermelon :)
