Wednesday, April 21, 2010

One Crazy Idea that Actually Worked – Quick Vegan BBQ


For the last month or so I have been craving barbecue. It isn’t like this was something we ate more than once a year when we were omni so I have no idea where this craving came from. But I have had barbecue on the brain. My initial thought was to make it with seitan but since we are trying to keep that to a minimum too I wanted to use a veggie. Then the thought came to me sauerkraut has a shredded texture like pulled pork. No, I am not feverish or delusional, although I can see why you would think that. Stay with me, this is better than you think. ;-)

Our entrée for dinner tonight was sauerkraut tossed with barbecue sauce served over brown basmati rice with cilantro. When I asked my husband what he thought he said, “It is oddly like pulled pork, a little softer but the flavor is really good.” And that comment is coming from a man that isn’t crazy about sauerkraut. So there you have it, vegan pulled pork in minutes. Drain the kraut, toss with barbecue sauce of your choice and warm it up (I used the microwave). This is going to make regular appearances at my house. It is so simple and easy I hope you give it a try.

20 comments:

  1. I never would have thought about using kraut!!! Brilliant!
    I ahve a great corn salad using kraut I should share with you!!!!!
    I am making this BBQ next week!!!
    Great idea...I finally got the computer to cooperate, so I have posted....

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  2. Brandi,

    So glad you like the idea. My hubby was a little dubious but he is a convert. Depending on how much bbq sauce you use the kraut can simply be a delivery system.

    Corn and kraut, that is interesting. I would love to see the recipe.

    Glad you computer is cooperating again.

    Alicia

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  3. I've seen a similar thing with young jack fruit used...but I love sauerkraut, so I'm sure I'd like this.

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  4. Huh, totally makes sense! Need to give this one a try, not that I could even begin to compare to pulled pork, but as long as it tastes good, that's all I care about!

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  5. Rose,

    I thought about using jackfruit but that is so difficult to come by outside the larger cities I wanted to use something that everyone could buy. Now that the kraut worked I am wondering about very thinly sliced artichokes that have been lightly cooked. That is another option. What do you think?

    Heather,

    If you like kraut (which I know you do) and BBQ it is a winner. I decided to try kraut for two reasons. The texture was close and the vinegar would be perfect with the sauce. It worked much better than I expected. I love it when something so simple tastes so good.

    Alicia

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  6. Sounds interesting. I like kraut and I make a mean bbq sauce myself, so this will be coming up this weekend.

    Why are you trying to cut back on seitan? I don't eat it a lot - I haven't worked the texture thing out yet.

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  7. Michelle,

    This is so easy and worked well last night since I was not in the mood to cook. Dan really liked it, and he doesn't like kraut. That is when I knew it was a winner. ;-)

    Neca,

    We were both surprised by how well this worked. To say my husband was dubious would be an understatement. But he told me I can make it again anytime. I think that said it all.

    I decided to cut back on seitan because I felt as though we were eating it too often (my hubby loves it). Also since it is processed (the wheat gluten) I think we should try to minimize it. I would prefer that we get our protein mostly from beans, but my hubby loves seitan so you will still see it here, just not as frequently. At least that is my plan we will see if Dan agrees. Fingers crossed!

    Alicia

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  8. Sarah,

    Thanks! This turned out so much better than I expected. And who doesn't love something that takes only minutes?

    Alicia

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  9. Wow, you're so inventive! Yum!

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  10. Janelle,

    Thanks! My husband expected this to be a nightmare but he really liked it. I have no idea where these crazy ideas of mine come from. It works much better as a BBQ replacement than I expected. It would be really good on a sandwich if we weren't trying to keep our flour consumption to a minimum. ;-)

    Great post today, BTW. I really enjoyed it!

    Alicia

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  11. What brand BBQ Sauce do you use, Alicia? Have you been able to find an Eat to Live friendly one without sugar/HFCs? I haven't and would love to find one (I make my own, but having one on hand like that would be nice for those BBQ cravings :-) )

    Thanks!
    Courtney

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  12. Courtney,

    I usually make my own BBQ sauce too. The only brand that I used to buy is the Organicville brand made with agave. When I decided to cut way back on agave too that had to go. But it is delicious if you are still using agave.

    Alicia

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  13. This is great, I'm trying this tommorrow. I love sauerkraut and was already planning to make bbq sauce today for the hubs. You are so creative Alicia!!

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  14. Janet,

    Thanks, I hope you like it as much as we did. ;-)

    Alicia

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  15. Thanks, Alicia. Did you make the BBQ sauce for this recipe? I would love to see your recipe if you don't mind sharing and have the time one day! I still haven't found a recipe I love yet... :-)

    Courtney

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  16. Courtney,

    I did make this sauce, but quite some time ago. I keep it in the freezer because we use it so infrequently. However this was the end of it so I need to make another batch. I will measure everything next time and will post it when I do.

    Alicia

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  17. Hi Alicia. I found this post interesting, as there's a McDougall recipe I've made several times (Southwest Vegetable Stew; http://www.drmcdougall.com/free_5m.html) and always thought the texture to be "meaty." Guess what's in it... thinly sliced savoy cabbage! So it made sense that you used kraut. I've been using legumes for protein since I made the switch to vegan, and haven't used many fake meats at all. Still not too keen on seitan, though what I've tried is store bought, not homemade. I should try one of your seitan recipes sometime. Thanks for all your posts--love reading them!

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  18. ccrock,

    Thanks for letting me know that you find shredded cabbage meaty too. My hubby thought this idea was a little nuts before he tasted it.

    All the McDougall recipes I have tried have been really good. I need to spend more time on their site. Thanks for the reminder.

    I have only purchased commerical seitan once (White Wave I think) and wasn't too crazy about it. Although our favorite local Asian restaurant sells many dishes with seitan that are amazing. I think they are very different by brand. If you decide to try to make your own and have questions feel free to email me.

    Alicia

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