A Trio of Savory VEGAN Kansas City Barbecue recipes!

When I lived in Kansas City, I was blessed to live amongst terrific establishments with exquisite barbecue dishes and equally mind-blowing Jazz clubs (often times the same establishment like The Majestic in downtown KC).  When I became vegan a couple years ago, one of the dishes I missed most was 'Burnt Ends' smothered in all that glorious tangy sauce Kansas City is famed for creating.  I roast the seitan in the BBQ sauce over fresh plums for 40 minutes and usually serve it with brussels sprouts or a vegan corn casserole.  I've included the recipes for my healthy KC BBQ sauce and the Brussels Sprouts below, and if you need any motivation, check out the link at the very bottom and Muddy Waters will help you 'get your KC on!' (not much unlike getting your Swerve® on!).  

I use the below seitan recipe in many other dishes as it's firm, - not mushy like the batches of yore I used to make. I've adapted it from recipes I've used from Isa at PPK and Yeah, That Vegan Shit blog.  I'm interested to hear how you'll use this seitan and what recipes you create in your kitchen, so please keep in touch with me here or on our Facebook page!  

Jennifer's all-purpose seitan recipe

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

2 TBSP grapeseed or sunflower seed oil

4 TBSP grated garlic

1 1/2 cups Vital Wheat Gluten

1/2 cup Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Flour

1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast 

1 tsp. ground dried thyme

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 tsp. salt

Get out your stand mixer and attach the bread kneading attachment.  In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vegetable broth and garlic.  In the stand mixer bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients. Turn on your mixer and allow it to knead the seitan for a good 3 minutes at the lowest setting in order to develop the gluten adequately. Let rest for a couple minutes while you prepare your steamer pot & grab your aluminum foil. Heat water in your steamer pot and then tear off 4 sheets of aluminum foil about 5" wide x 12" long. Go get the ball of seitan dough in the mixer bowl and cut into 4 equal-sized mini loaves.  Place one of your loaves on a sheet of foil and roll it up loosely, as the seitan will expand while cooking. Repeat with the remaining 3 loaves. Place the 4 aluminum foil pieces in your steamer basket and cook for 30 minutes.  Allow seitan to cool before adding to a marinade or putting in the fridge to add at a later date.  Seitan will keep in the fridge for roughly 2 weeks. Enjoy and prepare to have your mind blown!!

To make Burnt Ends in BBQ sauce, Cut cooled seitan into chunky triangular shapes and add to the following healthy BBQ sauce.  After the sauce has cooked for 20 minutes (let flavors marry!), you can add the seitan into the sauce (do not cover!) and cook on low heat for 30-ish minutes.  

Jennifer's almost-fat free KC BBQ sauce recipe:

1 onion, finely chopped

4 TBSP minced garlic

5 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 TBSP unsulphured molasses

1 TBSP Pomegranate molasses (optional, but gives it a great extra tangy flavor!)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper

2 cups organic ketchup

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 cup + 1 TBSP Dijon mustard (I use Grey Poupon)

3 tsp. Liquid Smoke

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Saute onion in a TBSP or 2 of water until transparent (we don't saute in oil around here unless we have to!). Add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.  Add in dry spices and stir fry together until fragrant.  Add in remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and use a wooden spoon to combine (using a wooden spoon helps the flavors marry nicely!). Reduce heat to low for 20-30 minutes. After this point, you can add the cut up pieces of seitan and simmer for another 30 minutes or so on low.

BURNT ENDS & BRUSSELS SPROUTS RECIPE

What you'll need:  a pound or two of brussels sprouts, cut in half, rinsed with loose leaves removed.

5-7 ripe plums- rinsed and cut into 1/2" thick slices (like little half moons),

1 TBSP maple syrup,

And the seitan & bbq sauce from above! 

After you've made the seitan and simmered in the healthy KC Barbecue sauce for about 30 minutes, fire up the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a small roasting pan with grapeseed or other high head tolerant spray oil.  Put the plum slices in the small roasting pan, then place the burnt ends/seitan pieces atop & alongside the plums. No need to add BBQ sauce to cover the plums. Put in the oven. Cook for 40 minutes, tossing every 15-20 minutes.  

Now for the Brussels sprouts!...Take the remaining BBQ sauce in the pan - about a half cup worth - and put into a big bowl.  Add 1 TBSP Maple Syrup and mix.  Add brussels sprouts atop this little sauce you just made and toss with a wooden spoon.  Dump this mixture into a sprayed (with grapeseed or sunflower seed oil) large roasting pan, and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, tossing every 10-15 minutes or so.  

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These recipes sound labor intensive, but if you cook the seitan one day and plan to make this meal on a Sunday, be sure to have a glass of wine or two at hand since there's quite a bit of stirring entailed when you're making the sauce, and a lot of standing by the oven during the roasting time.  Turn on your favorite Jazz station and enjoy in healthy you Barbecue lover!  

...And in case you need a little motivation to make these healthy recipes sure to please all the taste buds in your family, look no further!  Muddy will get you there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD2PTU3Oi84

Jennifer's Easy Peasy Chickpea RoadWonders (aka wraps)

It's a wrap.  But it's healthy fast food when you're on the road (and it's vegan too!)

If you enjoy road trips as much as we do, yet loathe the lack of readily accessible healthy food then Friend, read on. Fueling up, and flanked on all sides by fast food outlets with kids clamoring for a happy meal can pose a big challenge even for those of us 'health nuts'.  Arriving at a hotel where your only in-room dining option is the vending area or ordering in pizza and waiting an hour isn't much fun worthy of even the shortest trip. Fear not Road Warrior! These wraps are not only high in protein and fiber, but the sprouts give this salad a powerful antioxidant punch, and electrolytes are replenished with a healthy dose of mixed veggies.  As you can guess, this recipe is also a staple for when we go camping and hiking.  Nothing says 'quick healthy lunch' for a ravenous vegan hiker like myself like these Chickpea wraps.  We transform from famished to full before you can say 'easy-peasy-chickpea-wonder'!  Enjoy in good health and share with your friends & family! ...They'll love it too!
 

What you need:

1 half bottle of Green Goddess dressing from Trader Joe's (Big City Vegan has a great homemade version of this you can try at home)     

2 cans chickpeas (we soak dried beans, cook, and cool beans before use to avoid BPA contamination from lined aluminum cans)

1 bunch green onions diced (use both green and white parts)

veggies in your fridge (seeded & diced tomatoes, cucumbers, or peppers.  Kale, spinach, watercress, etc.)

1 little tub of broccoli sprouts (alfalfa is ok too but you get a big kick of antioxidant power with broccoli sprouts.

1 container of Ezekiel sprouted grain wraps

Mix all this together except the wraps of course, and put in your tidy cooler and enjoy! Be sure to add any veggies in your fridge that won't keep until your return. Wilted kale or spinach make a great addition as do tomatoes and/or cucumbers which you should dice and seed to avoid the chickpea salad getting to mushy.  This salad mix will keep for 3-4 days with minimal refrigeration.  Hubby Bob says to bring a little bottle of Tabasco for a more zesty flavor. Happy traveling & enjoy!