Calling all vegetarians!!!!!

naesue
naesue Posts: 401 Member
edited October 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I am cooking dinner for a group of college kids and was planning on making BBQ pulled pork for sandwhiches but found out that there are a few Vegetarians in the group. I would like to make a smaller simular dish for these students and was wondering which would be best to use that I can cook in BBQ sauce and be able to put on sandwhich buns? I was thinking either Tofu, portabella mushrooms, or chickpeas/garbanzo beans. What are your thoughts and what would be the pros or cons of using any of these for this purpose? I could really use the advice as I am not a vegetarian and have never really cooked vegetarian unless it was a meatless dish from a recipie. Thanks!

Replies

  • DietingMommy08
    DietingMommy08 Posts: 1,345 Member
    Serves 6

    2 Tbs. olive oil
    1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
    12 cloves garlic, minced (about 1/4 cup)
    1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
    1 Tbs. horseradish
    2 tsp. molasses
    2 tsp. cider vinegar
    1 tsp. lemon zest
    2 8-oz. pkgs. seitan, shredded
    6 sandwich rolls
    coleslaw for garnish, if desired

    Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 7 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more.
    Stir in tomato sauce, and cook 3 minutes. Add horseradish, molasses, vinegar, lemon zest and ½ cup water, and simmer over low heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Fold in seitan.
    Fill rolls with with barbecue mixture, and top with coleslaw, if desired. Serve with hot sauce.
  • GaiaGirl1992
    GaiaGirl1992 Posts: 459 Member
    hummus!! bbq portabello burgers, or crispy tofu burgers?
  • naesue
    naesue Posts: 401 Member
    What is Seitan I have never heard of it?
  • BeccaAnderton
    BeccaAnderton Posts: 80
    Quorn fillets could work! :)
  • backwardslant
    backwardslant Posts: 101 Member
    I'm with dietingmommy - seitan would be a great substitute in a dish like this. The texture and consistency would lend itself well. Good luck!
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
    Serves 6

    2 Tbs. olive oil
    1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
    12 cloves garlic, minced (about 1/4 cup)
    1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
    1 Tbs. horseradish
    2 tsp. molasses
    2 tsp. cider vinegar
    1 tsp. lemon zest
    2 8-oz. pkgs. seitan, shredded
    6 sandwich rolls
    coleslaw for garnish, if desired

    Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 7 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more.
    Stir in tomato sauce, and cook 3 minutes. Add horseradish, molasses, vinegar, lemon zest and ½ cup water, and simmer over low heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Fold in seitan.
    Fill rolls with with barbecue mixture, and top with coleslaw, if desired. Serve with hot sauce.
    I was going to suggest seitan and grilled veggies, but this is an actual recipe and sounds sooooo good!
  • taldie01
    taldie01 Posts: 378
    What about a vegetarian chilli?
  • naesue
    naesue Posts: 401 Member
    I already have the BBQ recipie I just need to know what I can replace the pork with!
  • kdelost630
    kdelost630 Posts: 196 Member
    mmm, that seitan barbeque recipe looks GREAT! I'm bumping this for later :)
  • DietingMommy08
    DietingMommy08 Posts: 1,345 Member
    Seitan can be made by hand...

    1 cup vital wheat gluten
    approx. 3/4 cup water or vegetable broth
    2 tbsp soy sauce
    1 tsp ginger powder
    1 tsp garlic powder
    6 cups broth for cooking
    3-4 slices onion (optional)
    2-3 pieces fresh ginger (optional)

    Combine gluten flour and dry spices in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, mix soy sauce and 3/4 cup broth or water.
    Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. After a few initial stirs, you’ll probably need to use your hands for this. Do not use an electrical mixer! Gluten will have a rubbery consistency. Add more water a tablespoon at a time only if needed.
    Once mixture is well combined, knead seitan 10-15 times, allow to sit for 5 minutes, then knead a few more times.
    Separate your ball of gluten into three or four smaller chunks. Gently stretch each piece into a flat cutlet, around 3/4 inch thick. Seitan will expand when cooking, so you’ll want to start out with somewhat thin cutlets. Don’t worry about any holes that may form in the gluten.
    Add seitan to 4 cups of broth in a large pot and bring to a slow simmer. You can add extra spices or flavors to this broth as well. I like to add around a quarter cup of soy sauce, a few pieces of fresh ginger and several slices of onion for extra flavor.
    For a "fishy" seitan, add crumbled nori or other seaweed, or, for a chicken-flavored seitan, add some poultry seasoning and use a chicken-flavored broth.
    Cover pot and allow to cook for an hour or more. Be sure to use a large pot and plenty of broth, as seitan will expand. Seitan is done cooking when it has firmed up and expanded.
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
    I have recently figured out that Manwich is vegetarian (vegan, really) and you can mix the Manwich with some vegetarian ground "beef" and make veggie sloppy joes. Those would go along well with pulled pork sandwiches, I think!

    Good luck to you, and great job considering the vegetarians!
  • DietingMommy08
    DietingMommy08 Posts: 1,345 Member
    What is Seitan I have never heard of it?

    Its a high in protein meat subsitute.
  • raevynn
    raevynn Posts: 666 Member
    Seitan works really well for this. Tempeh is also good for BBQ.

    Are you just looking to grab some premade stuff? if you have access to a good market with a larger vegetarian section, you can get either one already made/shredded, or in strips. If not, it is easy to prepare - if you are using tempeh, just cut in strips and brown a little, then simmer in the BBQ sauce.
  • nygiantschick
    nygiantschick Posts: 289 Member
    Ok..I'm vegan and I eat seitan, but if you have never had it or used it it can be a bit intimidating (my opinion). I think port mushrooms and then throw some veggies on the grill. If you marinate the tofu and ports in the bbq sauce overnight then pop that on the grill, then you give your guests options (all vegetarian's don't/can't eat tofu).

    You can ALSO go out and by some boca crumbles (in your grocery store's freezer section- Giant carries them) and cook that in a pan with some of that tasty bbq sauce and do something like a sloppy joe style thing (I'll be right over for that thank you very much).

    Have fun and thank you for taking the time to give your vegetarian guests some options!!!! Very thoughtful of you (some people would just put out a salad and a plate of chopped carrots----BOOOORRRRIIIINNNNNNG).
  • naesue
    naesue Posts: 401 Member
    I live in the middle of farm country in the Midwest, Michigan to be exact and I am unsure if I would be able to find tempeh or Seitan. I was really hoping for something simple. I'm leaning toward the portabella mushrooms as I am afraid the tofu will get mushy and don't really want a sloppy joe consistancy but I am considering the morning star crumbles. Don't they also have like fake meat for fajitas? That might work too. I think I might have to make a trip to one of the larger Walmarts or Meijers and check things out.
  • raevynn
    raevynn Posts: 666 Member
    Portobellas will be great! I'd so go for that in BBQs...
  • naesue
    naesue Posts: 401 Member
    Is worcestershire sauce vegetarian friendly?
  • Kristhin
    Kristhin Posts: 442 Member
    BBQ Seitan!
  • Kristhin
    Kristhin Posts: 442 Member
    No it isn't, but you can get veg friendly worcestshire sauce if you look for it at Whole Foods or another organic/ vegan friendly grocer.
  • Kristhin
    Kristhin Posts: 442 Member
    If you don't feel like cooking something complicated try www.veggiebrothers.com I've ordered from them a few times and its yummy.
  • tam120
    tam120 Posts: 444 Member
    bump
  • Kristhin
    Kristhin Posts: 442 Member
    http://store.veganessentials.com/annies-naturals-organic-vegan-worcestershire-sauce-p562.aspx

    thats a link to the veg worchestire.

    and heres a recipe to make some yourself if you can't buy it online or get to an organic grocer.

    http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/recipes/vegetarian-worcestershire-sauce.aspx
  • cowboydan43
    cowboydan43 Posts: 306 Member
    Wal Mart (depending on where you are) carries Morningstar fake chicken shred things. I think those would be tasty with some BBQ sauce. Just be careful to not overcook them or they get really tough and rubbery.
    I totally agree- thank you for taking time to think about your vegetarian guests! I usually end up eating a bunch of side dishes.
  • raevynn
    raevynn Posts: 666 Member
    Fred Meyer brand worchestershire sauce is vegan, btw. And, it's cheap.
  • naesue
    naesue Posts: 401 Member
    so last night I went to the store and bought Tempeh, portabella mushrooms, Morning star farms Chik'n strips, and Quorn Chik'n tenders. I'm going to make up my sauce without the worcestershire sauce and cook them all in it and my husband and I are going to try them all and see which one we like better. I may not eat vegetarian but....I refuse to serve anything to anyone that I don't think is tasty!!!!! We will see how it goes. Thank you for all of your suggestions. I still kind of want to find seitan but really have no idea where to look for it. I am going to an organic grocery store today and am going to look for it there. I'm also hoping to find vegan worcestershire cause I'm unsure of the taste of the BBQ without it.
  • PalmettoparkGuy
    PalmettoparkGuy Posts: 212 Member
    Corn on the cob, hummus. Veggy burgers.
  • naesue
    naesue Posts: 401 Member
    Found vegan Worcestershire sauce at the organic grocery store. They told me they used to carry Seitan but it didn't sell so they stopped selling it but was willing to order it for me if I wanted a whole case I told them no thank you. Again thank you all for the suggestions.
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