BBQ Seitan Sandwiches

Tonight's dinner certainly wasn't the healthiest one we've made so far: Simon and I made saucy BBQ Seitan Sandwiches served alongside ready-to-bake french fries and ketchup.  But hey, seitan slathered in BBQ sauce on a bun is still much lower in fat than steak slathered in BBQ sauce on a bun.  Plus, BBQ sauce is delicious and my rejection of meat cannot be confused with a rejection of the sauces traditionally associated with meat.      

Simmering BBQ Seitan

Here's the recipe for the sandwich filling.


Recipe:
BBQ Seitan Sandwiches

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 - 8 ounce packages of seitan strips (or homemade seitan if you have enough time to make it)
• about 10 ounces of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 4-6 rolls

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and pepper strips and sauté for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Then, add the seitan strips and BBQ sauce and stir.  Lower the heat and simmer until heated through--about 5 minutes. 

Top rolls with the sandwich filling and enjoy!  Serve with french fries if you've moved on from your new year's resolution.  Yields 4-6 servings.

Comments:

Taste:      

Seitan is my favorite meat substitute.  It has a satisfying mouthfeel and a firm texture that makes a great sandwich filling. The BBQ sauce is the dominant flavor in these sandwiches, though the bell peppers add freshness to each bite.   

Accessibility:      

Unfortunately, seitan is absent from most grocery stores.  We had to go to Whole Foods to buy ours.  It's not much easier to make seitan since wheat gluten--the main ingredient--is also difficult to find.  Luckily, seitan does freeze well so you can stock up when you have the chance.    

Ease of Preparation:   

Once you have the ingredients on hand, this recipe is extremely easy and fast to make.         

Non-vegan friendliness:   

Rachel and Simon agree that this dish isn't especially non-vegan friendly.  This was Rachel's first time having BBQ Seitan Sandwiches and she was ultimately disappointed.  As she put it, "the seitan looks too real so I was disappointed" when it wasn't really steak.  "It's so visually appealing" but it didn't meet her expectations.  Simon recommends slicing the seitan into thin strips to better replicate steak sandwiches.