Some assembly required. This seems to be found on the outside of boxes with the some of the best contents. It could also be a pop-up message included with this post. This vegan sandwich will rock your world, but, ahem, some assembly is required.
Honestly though, don’t you agree that the assembly can sometimes be an equally fun part of a meal? The smells, the music, the cursing (when you realize a forgotten key ingredient), all adds to the anticipation of the final moment…when we sit down and enjoy the food. Today’s recipe will definitely fit this bill.
As you know, we’re in the middle of a series, America’s Top 10 New Sandwiches…Veganized! So far, the sandwiches we’ve featured have included:
- Sandwich No. 10 the Vegan Spuckie Sandwich, prepared by Your Vegan Mom and featured a carrot salad on top of vegan deli slices.
- Sandwich No. 9 the Bulgogi Steak Sandwich by Manifest Vegan showcased tender strips of marinated tofu topped with caramelized onions.
- Sandwich No. 8, the Crispy Drunken Chicken Sandwich showcased two unique vegan recipes by Veggie Num Num and Epicurean Vegan who both provided recipes with sweet, spicy sauces.
But why, you may ask, are we doing this series?
No One Puts Vegans in a Corner!
It began with a ragtag group of vegans who found inspiration in the unlikeliest of places, a Huffington Post article featuring sandwiches loaded with fatty meats and artery-clogging cheeses. We wanted to show that America could do better! We wanted to show that vegans aren’t just sitting in the corner munching on sprouts!
Well, we actually do some of that too, but we can also prepare incredibly tasty meals. And that’s what we decided to prove with this series. So there you have it, we are sharing with you tasty and healthier versions of these cholesterol-laden sandwiches, one sandwich at a time! We’re calling it: America’s Top 10 New Sandwiches…Veganized!
Today is the fourth post in the series, Sandwich #7, The Cheesy Mac and Rib Sandwich. So yes, some assembly is required, but the prize at the end is definitely worth the ride!
Cheesy Mac and “Rib” Sandwich
This recipe was produced, prepared and photographed by Morgan at Little House of Veggies
Buttered sourdough baguette with cheesy macaroni, sweet BBQ seitan, and caramelized onions
Makes about 6 sandwiches
Sweet BBQ Seitan
About 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced seitan (made from scratch or store bought) combined with Morgan’s Sweet BBQ Sauce.
Morgan’s Sweet BBQ Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup yellow mustard
- 3 Tbsp evaporated cane sugar
- 4 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp molasses
- cracked pepper
Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients over low heat and let simmer about 5 minutes. Take off of the heat. In a bowl combine the thinly-sliced seitan with the BBQ sauce and toss to coat well.
Mac and Cheese
Adapted slightly from my all time favorite recipe for mac and cheese from The Kind Life
Ingredients:
- 1 box of whole grain elbow macaroni noodles
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2/3 cup canola oil
- 3 Tbsp Earth balance vegan butter
- salt and pepper
Directions:
Cook noodles according to package directions. While the noodles cook, mix all the rest of the ingredients in a blender or Vitamix until smooth. Drain the pasta and then mix the sauce with the pasta to coat.
Caramelized Onions
Ingredients:
- 3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp evaporated cane sugar
- salt and pepper
Directions:
In a heavy skillet, start heating the oil over medium high heat. Add the thinly-sliced onions, sugar, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for about 45 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very brown, sweet, and tender.
Sandwich Assembly:
- Sourdough or french baguette
- Sweet BBQ seitan
- creamy macaroni and cheese
- caramelized onions
- earth balance butter
- fresh cracked pepper
Cut baguettes into about 6 inch pieces. Toast and “butter” the inside of both sides with Earth Balance butter. Make sure all the other ingredients are warmed upon assembling the sandwich and add a little macaroni, BBQ seitan, and caramelized onions to each sandwich. Add extra freshly-cracked pepper on the top. You can try to pick the whole thing up to devour it, or you can take our suggestion and eat with a knife and fork! — Morgan
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this fourth post in our series of America’s Top 10 New Sandwiches…Veganized! We’ll be publishing another recipe next week so stay tuned.
America’s Top 10 New Sandwiches…Veganized! Participating Bloggers:
- Trina at Your Vegan Mom. Follow Trina on Twitter too.
- Allyson at Manifest Vegan. Follow Allyson on Twitter too.
- Trudy at Veggie NumNum. Follow Trudy on Twitter too.
- April at Epicurean Vegan.
- Morgan at Little House of Veggies. Follow Morgan on Twitter.
- Noelle at Operah Singer in the Kitchen. Follow Noelle on Twitter.
- Leinana at Vegan Good Things. Follow Leinana on Twitter.
- Nora at Pride and Vegudice. Follow Nora on Twitter.
- Mandi Hoffman at Chic Vegan. Follow Mandi on Twitter.
- Jennifer Sweet on Veg. Follow Jennifer on Twitter.
- Ashley at Never Homemakers. Follow Ashley on Twitter.
- Marly at Namely Marly. Follow Marly on Twitter.
You are doing so great on the series marly! I am loving it! Especially the cursing part! haha! we have all been there right?!
February 25, 2011
11:14 am
I’m drooling!!!
February 25, 2011
11:21 am
oh. wow.
Nice work Morgan!!
February 25, 2011
12:51 pm
This looks so good!
February 25, 2011
4:35 pm
Yum, buttered sourdough baquette, ooey gooey cheese, onions….this looks amazing!
February 25, 2011
6:07 pm
When I have an afternoon or evening open, I love assembling more elaborate meals. There is nothing more fun than spending a few hours in the kitchen. Thank you for sharing another great sandwich. I’m drooling too!
February 25, 2011
10:55 pm
Wow, veganized never looked so good! Great job Morgan!
February 26, 2011
8:20 am
I NEED to make this!
March 11, 2011
3:10 pm
Oh my god! This looks so amazing. What meat eater would NOT want to eat this!
April 4, 2011
11:39 am
It looks incredible, but oh the carbs! lol
April 8, 2011
10:37 am