One evening last week I spent the night on the couch. Typically E and I watch some Cops, some Seinfeld, and a little bit of the Food Network. On this particular night, Erik went to bed, and I couldn't force myself to budge off of the couch... so I watched a Food Network show that I usually avoid. It's the most un-vegetarian show that I've ever seen on that channel, Diners Drive-ins and Dives.
This particular episode was the most meat-intense show possible: barbecuing. Now, watching those crazies roast an entire pig was practically painful, but even though I'm an 8-year vegetarian, I'm also quick to admit that meat tasted good. In fact, I was a huge meat eater until college, and I will never deny the tastiness of all the meat that is out there. Nevertheless, I whole-heartily believe that it is morally wrong to consume it. Call it my beliefs, my religion, my annoying rant... call it what you will. The point is that I watched this show and couldn't wait to make a veggie bbq sandwich!
I picked up a package of seitan, covered it in some bottled bbq sauce, and stuck it in the oven for about an hour. I think it would be much better grilled, or marinated in a unique bbq sauce, but let's face it folks.. I was lazy.
In the mean time, I started the pesto by combining the following ingredients in the food processor:
-- 25 leaves of fresh basil
-- handful of fresh parsley
-- 2 cloves of garlic
-- 1/2 cup of Pecorino Romano
-- juice of 1 lemon
-- 1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts
-- 3/4 cup of olive oil
(added slowly as the food processor runs)
The barbecued seitan came out of the oven looking (and tasting) lovely, but the Diners, Drive-ins and Dives TV show taught me that if I were a good ol' southern gal, I'd know the importance of adding some slaw to the sandwhich. So, I added some fresh coleslaw. (Buy the pre-shredded mix at the store, and all of you have to do is stir in some slaw dressing!)
Voila! Definitely satisfied my urge for BBQ!
This particular episode was the most meat-intense show possible: barbecuing. Now, watching those crazies roast an entire pig was practically painful, but even though I'm an 8-year vegetarian, I'm also quick to admit that meat tasted good. In fact, I was a huge meat eater until college, and I will never deny the tastiness of all the meat that is out there. Nevertheless, I whole-heartily believe that it is morally wrong to consume it. Call it my beliefs, my religion, my annoying rant... call it what you will. The point is that I watched this show and couldn't wait to make a veggie bbq sandwich!
I picked up a package of seitan, covered it in some bottled bbq sauce, and stuck it in the oven for about an hour. I think it would be much better grilled, or marinated in a unique bbq sauce, but let's face it folks.. I was lazy.
In the mean time, I started the pesto by combining the following ingredients in the food processor:
-- 25 leaves of fresh basil
-- handful of fresh parsley
-- 2 cloves of garlic
-- 1/2 cup of Pecorino Romano
-- juice of 1 lemon
-- 1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts
-- 3/4 cup of olive oil
(added slowly as the food processor runs)
I mixed the pesto into a pound of cooked pasta, and stirred in:
-- a ladle full of starchy pasta water
-- a bag of frozen peas (about 10 oz)
-- a handful of chopped scallions
-- 4 full stocks of celery
-- lots of salt and pepper, and a little celery seed
-- some more Pecorino (who can resist?)
The barbecued seitan came out of the oven looking (and tasting) lovely, but the Diners, Drive-ins and Dives TV show taught me that if I were a good ol' southern gal, I'd know the importance of adding some slaw to the sandwhich. So, I added some fresh coleslaw. (Buy the pre-shredded mix at the store, and all of you have to do is stir in some slaw dressing!)
Voila! Definitely satisfied my urge for BBQ!
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