BBQ Sammich & Tater Salad

I've been working on my recipe for vegan barbecue for months. I knew I MUST include a barbecue sandwich in my cookbook since pulled pork sandwiches are such a big thing down here. Even though pulled pork is nasty, I wanted something that would simulate that meaty texture. I've tried seitan (too chewy), tofu (not chewy enough), and finally a tempeh/shredded carrot combo (perfect!).

Here's my Tempeh Carrot BBQ Sandwich with Poppy Seed Coleslaw on a homemade whole wheat bun:

The tempeh has a bit of a chewy texture, but not as much as the seitan did. When I tried this with seitan, it was like eating bread with a bread bun — way too chewy! I added grated carrot to the tempeh for more of a "pulled pork" look and some extra veggie nutrients.

The Poppy Seed Coleslaw recipe is also going in the cookbook. It's vegan mayo-based because that's what I like, but I'm sure a fat-free vegan mayo would work for the calorie-conscious (there's also a homemade tofu mayo recipe in my cookbook for those who prefer DIY).

The whole wheat buns are from Jessy's recipe. These are Dee-licious, but as you can see, mine didn't rise properly, Instead of rising up, they flattened out. But they were still tasty. It's not the recipe's fault though — I subbed all whole wheat pastry flour for some of the white flour in Jessy's recipe, so I'm sure that's the problem. Hers always look perfect!

On the side, I made the Creamy Avocado Potato Salad from Vegan Brunch:

Since I'm a huge guacamole fan, this stuff was awesome! But I did have to add a whole bunch more salt and some garlic powder to bring it up to par.

The recipe in VB serves four, but I didn't want the avocado to turn brown in my leftovers. So I cooked the whole recipe for potatoes and placed them in a bowl in the fridge, un-dressed. Then as I've been eating this each day, I mush up half an avocado with the other spices and some cherry tomato and mix with one serving of the potatoes. It's a good way to make a recipe like this for one person.