TODAY’S THE DAY!! Today is the day that Great Vegan BBQ Without a Grill is being released to the public!! It’s one of the most surreal feelings, and we’re not yet sure how to process the fact that we were actually asked to write a cookbook by a publishing house, that we created over 70 recipes that were centered around BBQ and grilling, and that we can legitimately say that we’re authors.
Before we talk about our cookbook we want to congratulate our reader, Erica! CONGRATULATIONS, ERICA, YOU WON OUR GIVEAWAY!!! Look for the email we sent you so we can get the prizes to you ASAP!
It feels like a lifetime ago that I opened that email from Sarah, our editor, asking us if we’d be interested in discussing a possible book deal. My first reaction was that it was a joke. My husband came home from work, and according to him, I was sitting in front of the computer staring at the screen with an odd look on my face. As if that’s something new. Lol!
After reading over that email numerous times, and then researching the name of the publishing house and re-reading that email another dozen times, and then letting my husband read it, it occurred to me that it was legit. If only you could have seen my happy dance that night. Think Tom Cruz in yoga pants.
Fast forward to February, when Alex and I signed the contract and started working on creating and perfecting the list of recipes that we had submitted to our editor in January. Our kitchens were humming!
We divided the recipes and we each worked on about forty each, eventually narrowing them down to the ones we wanted to go into the cookbook. We tested, re-tested, tested each other’s, and sent them out to be tested by friends and family. If you only knew how many bags of vital wheat gluten we went through to get those ribz, brisket, and brat recipes to have the perfect textures and flavors! Bob’s Red Mill should make us their spokeswomen. 😉
Alex and I decided before we signed the contract that we wanted the publisher to hire a professional photographer to take the pictures for us. We could have taken our own, but Alex was finishing up graduate school, it was winter and the light in Chicago wasn’t good, and we wanted the book to be the absolute best that it could be. We interviewed a lot of food photographers and we ultimately found the incredibly talented and super cool, Kelly Allison. You guys, this woman is just so awesome.
Not only is she one of the best photographers ever, she’s the kindest, funniest, most vibrant person we’ve ever met. She’s also an amazing singer, like she should be on the radio. To say that the days that we spent at her studio cooking 12 to 14 recipes a day and watching her work her magic was one of the most incredible experiences of our lives would be an understatement. We also learned A LOT about food photography. Thank you Kelly and your amazing girl crew!
So much work went into this cookbook. So. Much. Work.
I mean, how did we come up with so many Southern inspired recipes when we live in Chicago? Family. You’ll read about where our inspiration came from in the book.
My mother is from Virginia, and we visited my grandmother every summer when I was a kid. We also spent time at the beaches in South Carolina as well. As a child of the 60s and 70s, vacation time meant road trips. My dad packed up our station wagon and we drove through the South to get to those glorious beaches. As we wove our way through Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, North and South Carolina, and back up to Virginia, food was always the highlight of each rest stop.
I loved the small country diners that served cheesy grits. There was nothing like the little BBQ shacks that served the best pulled BBQ sandwiches and coleslaw. And then when we visited my grandmother, aka Big Mama (for real), we stuffed ourselves with her BBQ ribz, baked beans, creamy potato salad (pickles and pickle juice are the secret to the incredible flavor in these), and the BEST darn cornbread you’ll ever eat.
Southern-Style Creamy Potato Salad
Now, Alex didn’t get that experience. We didn’t do road trips, we flew. And because we flew, we took vacations in Colorado, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Florida. She didn’t get that Southern charmed life that I did. But, she did grow up in Chicago, and our hometown is known for it’s own kind of BBQ. She was the brilliant one who created Buffalo Chik’n Dip, Bratwurst, and Smoky Mac ‘n’ Cheese, among other mouthwatering dishes.
Wisconsin-Style Grilled Bratwurst
So you see, between the two of us and our history and experiences, we were able to create some of our favorite BBQ recipes for vegan and non-vegan foodies.
To give you a little taste of what you’ll find in our cookbook, we’re going to share our “Honey” BBQ Ribz recipe with you.
This is a recipe that reminds me of my dad. He LOVED BBQ ribs, and I truly believe that if he could try these, he’d be so proud. They’re made with homemade BBQ sauce and a delicious mixture of seitan and spices, pureed mushrooms, broth and other flavorful ingredients that give the ribz a wonderful texture and flavor.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN BBQ RIBS WITH SEITAN
First – Cook the mushrooms.
Second – Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Third – Puree the mushrooms and wet ingredients in a food processor and then stir them into the dry ingredients until it forms a stretchy dough.
Fourth – Form the dough into the shape of a rack of ribs and bake for 30 minutes.
Fifth – Make the BBQ sauce and liberally brush it on the ribs and grill it on a grill pan or in a skillet. Slice and enjoy!
If you can whisk, process, stir, and bake, then you can make these amazing vegan ribs for your next get together.
THE FIRST REVIEW OF GREAT VEGAN BBQ WITHOUT A GRILL
As the weeks go by we’ll be sharing several reviews of our cookbook, written by several fabulous bloggers. They just received their copies of the books last week and we’ve already received some great feedback. Here’s what our friend, “Milka, had to say about it:
“Received the copy of the cook book few days ago – thanks so much! I made a fab Sunday night dinner yesterday and am working on the post to review the book and share some impressions. BTW: the ribs were to die for!!! Congratulations!👏👏👏👏👏”
We can’t wait to share all of the reviews with you in the coming weeks, including Milka’s!
Of course, we always love hearing from our readers, so as you start making our recipes from the cookbook, please let us know what you think. We love to hear from you.
HOW TO BUY GREAT VEGAN BBQ WITHOUT A GRILL
Click on any of the links below to purchase.
Amazon – Indie Bound –
Book Depository – Barnes & Noble
Let’s connect! Hop on over to our Facebook page and give it a like, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and follow us and share this and other Veganosity recipes on Pinterest. We’d be so grateful if you did. If you like this recipe and can’t wait to see what we’re going to share next, subscribe to Veganosity. Just fill in the subscription box above our picture in the top right corner of the page. And, Alex and I love hearing from you, please leave a comment and let us know what you think of our recipes.
- 4 tsp 20 ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 cups quartered white mushroom caps
- 2 cups vital wheat gluten (we use Bob’s Red Mill Brand)
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup mushroom broth (we use Pacifica brand)
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp peanut butter or any nut butter, including tahini
- 2 tbsp hickory flavored liquid smoke
- 2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (we use Annie’s brand)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp roasted beet or beet juice (this is for color and is optional)
- ½ cup ml ketchup
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp Bee Free Honee (available at Whole Foods or Amazon)
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp ground sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
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Preheat oven to 350°F () and grease a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) pan.
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In a medium skillet, heat 2 teaspoons (10 ml) olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, approximately 5 minutes.
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Whisk the wheat gluten, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper until well combined.
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In a food processor or high powered blender, add the mushrooms, broth, soy sauce, peanut butter, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and beet until pureed, approximately 1 minute. Pour the mushroom mixture into the wheat gluten mixture and stir until it turns into a light and stretchy dough. If the dough seems too wet, add a bit more vital wheat gluten until it becomes really stretchy. Spread it evenly in the greased pan and bake for 30 minutes.
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Mix the ketchup, mustard, bee free honee, vinegar, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slather the sauce on both sides of the ribz.
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Heat a grill pan or skillet on medium-high heat and brush with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Grill the ribz for approximately 3 to 4 minutes or until you see grill marks. Slice into strips and enjoy!
The Nutrition Facts are just and estimate.
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