BBQ Broccoli “Beef” Bowl

It has to be said-homemade seitan may be the MOST disgusting looking food I make. And that’s probably the reason I don’t make it often. It honestly resembles a big, saturated raisin. My friend was over the other night after I finished cooking it and she screamed when she saw it. LEGIT, screamed. She thought it was some type of mutant rat or insect, ready to wreak havoc on my stovetop. There’s a million other disgusting things it looks like, but considering I’m trying to segway into this delicious recipe, I should probably stop now.

Let’s face it though-even store bought seitan doesn’t look all that appetizing. But throw in the right seasonings and sauces and you’ve got yourself a killer faux meat dish that would make a carnivores drool.

I don’t make much Asian inspired food (probably because I never ate it in my omnivore life), so this play on a beef broccoli bowl turned out pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. I love the pairing of the hearty, “meat” with the light rice and scallions. Roasted broccoli is quickly becoming my new favorite cruciferous veggie (sorry Brussels Sprouts!).

HOMEMADE SEITAN-I followed this recipe from Vegetarian Times and loved it! I would recommend making two smaller loaves instead of just one

BROCCOLI AND BEEF

4 broccoli crowns, cut into florets

4 cups cooked brown rice (I added some coconut oil and shredded coconut into mine-just because I love it)

1 batch of seitan, torn into pieces

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1 14 oz jar of organic BBQ sauce of your choice

1/2 cup organic teriyaki sauce

1/3 cup sesame seeds

1 yellow onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 cayenne pepper, minced

Sea salt and black pepper

• In a large bowl, combine seitan, BBQ sauce and teriyaki sauce and let marinate in the fridge for two hours
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Once marinated, saute onions in coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes (you want them to get a little browned)
• Add ginger and garlic and cook for an additional two minutes
• Add seitan and marinating sauce and continue cooking over medium heat for about ten minutes
• Then, toss broccoli, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper together and then transfer to baking sheet
• Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes
• When everything is cooked, serve broccoli and beef over rice and top with scallions and sesame seeds