You can have your 'Q' & eat it, too (even if you're vegetarian/vegan)!
You already know that I'm a meat eater, and I make no apologies for it. The truth is, I spent a total of 8 years of my life as a vegetarian (this was split into 2 different periods). It was totally a personal choice, not influenced by what was "trending" or "cool" at the time...just my preference.
I've never been a big meat eater, really. For most of my life, it's been a take it or leave it thing with me - more often than not a "leave it". I still cannot stomach pork, and always pay the price if I decide to try it again.
And it's not a topic I like to debate. I rank dietary preference right up there with politics and religion in regard to what should probably be off-limits in chats among friends. We all come from different places and have different reasons for our beliefs, and I respect that.
In my recent post for April in the Raw (see my recipe for Raw Nut-free Fudge), I mentioned my interest in diets other than my own, and that includes my vegetarian and vegan friends. A lot of my recipes are vegan, and that is due to the need to eliminate dairy & egg for health reasons (see more about that HERE). For those same reasons, though, I need to consume lean meats to get enough heme iron.
So why a vegan BBQ if I eat meat? Well, remember, I just told you that I'm not such a huge fan of meat - I'd rather have chickpeas.
Over the past 2 weeks, I have been thinking BBQ - you know, something tender and juicy slathered in a rich spicy-sweet sauce.
I've never been a big meat eater, really. For most of my life, it's been a take it or leave it thing with me - more often than not a "leave it". I still cannot stomach pork, and always pay the price if I decide to try it again.
And it's not a topic I like to debate. I rank dietary preference right up there with politics and religion in regard to what should probably be off-limits in chats among friends. We all come from different places and have different reasons for our beliefs, and I respect that.
In my recent post for April in the Raw (see my recipe for Raw Nut-free Fudge), I mentioned my interest in diets other than my own, and that includes my vegetarian and vegan friends. A lot of my recipes are vegan, and that is due to the need to eliminate dairy & egg for health reasons (see more about that HERE). For those same reasons, though, I need to consume lean meats to get enough heme iron.
So why a vegan BBQ if I eat meat? Well, remember, I just told you that I'm not such a huge fan of meat - I'd rather have chickpeas.
Over the past 2 weeks, I have been thinking BBQ - you know, something tender and juicy slathered in a rich spicy-sweet sauce.
For a simple tangy sweet sauce, I mix these ingredients (and a touch of hot sauce).
Then I made Lemony Cabbage Avocado Slaw for one of our Now Gigi Serves Dinner! side dishes. During that meal, while eating baked salmon, my mind was on BBQ. Then my friend, Debi, at Hunter's Lyonesse made Lemony Slaw, which reminded me of a lemony basil slaw that I served with...you guessed it...BBQ. It was bound to happen.
I'll give you the menu before you click on to see how I made this yummy vegan Q!
Don't forget to check out my Contributors page! All the dreamy goodness here came from one of them!
Vegan BBQ patties with sweet & tangy sauce
Oven-baked fries with Rosemary Sea Salt(click to see how I make mine)
Simple Spinach Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing (click for recipe)
Individual Vegan Chocolate Pies with Chocolate Granola Crust (I'm loving my Enjoy Life Foods Chocolate Granola)
I seasoned mashed chickpeas with oregano, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper, hot sauce, roasted garlic, and a touch of balsamic, then bound it together with a Mila chia "egg" (see how to make a chia "egg" HERE).
Coarsely processed cooked chickpeas is mixed with seasonings and chia 'egg' for the patties.
Then I formed the mixture into patties, which you can bake like I did (at 400 degrees), or you could make them nice and crispy by frying them in olive oil for a few minutes on each side.
Form the mixture into patties and place in a lightly greased baking pan.
After the patties were heated through and becoming crisp around the edges, I spread some of the BBQ sauce on top, returned them to the oven, and baked them for approximately 10 minutes more.
Bake for 10 minutes on each side, then top with sauce and bake an additional 10.
Instead of the traditional side of cole slaw, I decided a light spinach salad simply dressed with Creamy Cilantro Dressing would complement the sweet-tangy sauce (not to mention I've made slaw recently, and I'm not much of a "repeat eater").
A salad of baby spinach & creamy cilantro dressing completes the meal!
For dessert, I absolutely had to incorporate this amazing double chocolate granola from Enjoy Life Foods. When it arrived on my doorstep last evening, I was too full to even try a bite, so when I got up this morning, I knew what I'd be having for breakfast...
Free from the top 8 most common allergens, gluten & nut free and totally delicious!
Honestly, this granola was so yummy, I had to use it in tonight's dessert. Although it would have been quite fine by me to pour some into a bowl and nosh away, I wasn't sure how you would feel about that, so I used it as the crust for a raw chocolate pudding.
I processed the granola into medium-fine crumbs, then added 1 chia 'egg' for binding the granola. I used my small measuring cup to press it evenly into individual dessert ramekins.
The filling is a mixture of avocado, banana, shredded coconut, cacao powder, & raw vanilla extract. I simply pureed in the processor and scooped it into my prepared crust!
As always, thanks so much for coming to dinner! Check back in tomorrow for another meal!
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