When I asked vegan bloggers what recipes I should be sure to make before VeganMoFo came to an end I got a lot of great suggestions, including a vote for Veganomicon’s Snobby Joe’s from Veggie Girl. While I haven’t tried that particular recipe yet, I did tackle a similar vegetarian sandwich that was the result of not one, but three recipes. I started with a recipe for Happy Herbivore’s Tangy BBQ Sandwich from her Sneak Peek E-Cookbook. I know the idea of making a BBQ sandwich without meat may seem a little sacrilegious to some. Because BBQ for me is all about the sauce and not the meat itself, a vegetarian BBQ sandwich is right up my alley.
I was drawn to her recipe because it called for textured vegetable protein (TVP) as a meat substitute, which I had purchased but not yet tried. Straight out of the package it looks a bit like whole wheat Panko-style bread crumbs, but when hydrated it has the texture of lean ground turkey. Per serving it has 0 grams of fat, 12 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, which isn’t bad for 80 calories. By comparison, 2 ounces of ground turkey has 84 calories, 4 grams of fat, and 10 grams of protein.The hydrated TVP was mixed with diced veggies and homemade BBQ Sauce made from a recipe in The Essence of Chocolate, which is quickly becoming a favorite cookbook of mine. One of the more unexpected recipes in the cookbook, the BBQ Sauce includes an ounce of dark chocolate as its secret ingredient. I knew I had to try it because I have recently become infatuated with chocolate in savory dishes thanks to being introduced to mole. Lucky for me, this sauce does not disappoint.
I served the filling inside my third recipe of the night, Apple Cinnamon Bread, courtesy of the cookbook Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand.
The end product that was born out of these three recipes was pure bliss. The BBQ sauce gave the TVP a lovely mahogany color and lent well balanced flavor. I loved how the chocolate added a subtle depth to the sauce. It also balanced out the dry mustard, yellow mustard, cayenne, paprika, and chili powder. The filling was also a wonderful compliment to the bread. The apple and cinnamon in the bread went so well with the BBQ and added a sweet twist. Overall I was thrilled with these three recipes and would gladly serve this sandwich to both my vegetarian and omnivore friends.
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This sounds really good! I totally agree that BBQ is all about the sauce.
Also, you MUST try snobby Joe’s! They’re fabulous!
I love that combination–these soudn fabulous! I’m bookmarking this one (sigh–so many recipes, so little time. . .!!)
How very intriguing! It looks delicious, Happy Herbivore’s recipes rock so hard!!
Kelly, thanks for stopping by. Great recipe. Of course, anything goes better with chocolate:)
that looks so amazing. i love how you ate it on sweet bread. that sounds really good. i need to make the snobby joe’s myself!!! everyone’s been talking about those things.
What a crazy combination – I love!
That looks interesting. Maybe I’ll try it.
That looks SO good! I think I’ll try it with some turkey (so my hubby doesn’t file for divorce for serving him fake meat)
Vegannifer – Yes, it is quite good. The chocolate is what makes it. I know I need to try snobby joes. I have Veganomicon from the library right now so I have no excuse.
Dietdessertndogs – I know. I hear you on so many recipes, so little time.
River – Thank you. I love her recipes. They’re so healthful and tasty.
Teresa – No problem. I love visiting.
Joanna – I loved the sweet bread. Now that I no longer stink at bread baking I love trying unusual creations.
Erin – Thank you.
Gourmetbliss – Awesome. Let me know if you do.
Elina – Hehe. My boyfriend is not a big fan of fake meat either but gladly eats it at my friend’s house (who is a veggie).
Everything you make looks delicious! This and the lettuce wraps in the next post … restaurant worthy!
sounds so fantastic! I love BBQ, so delicious. Chocolate sounds very interesting.
Veganomicon has a great apricot bbq sauce.
Hangrypants – Thank you. I am so flattered.
Bethany – Oooh. I currently have Veganomicon from the library so I will have to try that recipe. It sounds unusual and delicious.