"If people could see how their food is produced, they would change how they eat."
--Michael Pollan
Seasonal Recipes
BBQ Wheat Meat
Nineteen years ago when we first became vegetarians, I found myself cooking a lot with tofu, gluten, and TVP in an attempt to make fake meats. Now stores are full of all kinds of fake meat products, but I find myself in the kitchen again with tofu and gluten, creating my own fake meats. This time it is out of my desire to lower the carbon footprint of our meals and to eat fewer processed foods.
Dry ingredients
2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Wet ingredients
1 1/2 cups water
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon vegemite
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces silken tofu
Your favorite BBQ rub and BBQ sauce. I used the basic rub on page 45 of Cheater BBQ and the vinegar sauce on page 38.
Stir the dry ingredients together. In a separate container blend the wet ingredients together. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and knead for 10 minutes. Let rest for 1 hour and then knead for another 10 minutes. I use a mixer with a dough hook for the kneading.
Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly coat two 8x8 baking dishes with oil. Cover the bottom of the pans with BBQ rub. Divide the dough in half and press half into one pan. Do the same with the second ball of dough. Rub the tops of the flattened dough generously with BBQ rub. Cover the pans with foil and place in the oven for 25 minutes.
Take a sharp knife and cut each pan into 8 strips; then turn the pan and cut those strips in half to form 16 pieces. Pour about 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce into each pan, spreading so that all surface is coated. A very thin sauce works best for this. Replace the foil and return the pans to the oven for 20 more minutes
Remove the pans from the oven and carefully re-cut each strip, going over each cut to make sure that the pieces will pull apart easily later. Sprinkle the tops with brown sugar and brush with barbecue sauce. Invert the whole baking dish onto the grill. Repeat the brown sugar and sauce on the side that is now on top, which was on the bottom of the pan while baking. When the side facing the flame is sufficiently brown, turn and cook the other side, adding more sauce, if necessary. When done, remove to a platter and cut or pull apart the individual pieces to serve.
Posted on September 26, 2009
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