An Ode To My Mom: The Beer Can Tofurky!

The Beer Can Tofurky: Texas BBQ Style

Isn't Everything Better With Barbecue Sauce? This Isn't Rhetorical.

     I've heard plenty of horror stories of parents' reaction to them going vegetarian and vegan. Not me, I simply told my mom that I didn't want to eat animals anymore. And poof that was that. Then, a few months later she joined me in going vegetarian and vegan. I had a partner in crime or cuisine, rather! Times were tough. My mom made the best crock pot hot wings, lasagna, mac and cheese and her world famous banana bread. It was a tough life, I know. She inspired my love for cooking, but in an ironic twist she said my recent posts and pictures inspired her to start cooking again. Funny how everything comes around full circle!

     As if her culinary skills weren't enough, my mom has the heart of a giant. Growing up, we also had a house brimming with dogs, cats and other furry friends that my mom took in. My mom even bottle fed a puppy that was rescued from a dog fighting ring. Pretty rad, right? It gets even better as I write this she is helping to dig a well in Ethiopia with Water to Thrive. I know, right? She's a pretty amazing woman! Oh, and she raised me! Thanks for everything, mom!  I Love you! 

     Beer Can Tofurky: Basting

Keeping It Local: Using a Local Beer For The Beer Can Tofurky.

     Not only did she take me on a tour of the finest restaurants in San Antonio (see the posts on Vegeria and Green Vegetarian Cuisine) but she planned on making the beer can tofurky for Easter dinner. The amazing site (and soon to be cookbook "Betty Goes Vegan"), Meet The Shannons blazed the trail first with awesome pictures and directions on how to make this magical classic recipe. So I won't repost the recipe here, but you can find it HERE.

       Ever since Tofurky was sold, I celebrated with the roast every holiday. It made holidays bearable again and blazed a trail of other products to follow. Tofurky/Turtle Island is one of my favorite companies, committed to using non-gmo ingredients, as well as using U.S. grown organic soybeans (from a co-op in texas, no less!), supporting HSUS and being an entirely vegetarian company. Oh, and family owned and operated! Needless to say, I have a soft spot for the company. One of these days, I'll do a post on just their products. However over the years, I've strayed from using the Tofurky roast for holidays and instead tried new items like the Field Roast Hazelnut Cranberry Roast En Croute, which was awesome. Mainly, because it just sounds fancy, but honestly because it had ginger inside! Ginger wins every time, people! Tofurky is the original though, so I was excited for a new way to jazz up the roast.

 Beer Can Tofurky: After Grilling

Yum! I'm still salivating at this deliciousness! 

          Together, my mom and I started by hollowing it out and then shaping it to the beer can (including a repair job with some tooth picks). Then, we made the marinade and put it on the grill and continued basting every few minutes. I basted the hell out of the thing. I wanted some spice on it! 

Ready For Eating

Chunks O' Tofurky!

     I can only say this: wow! I'm not sure if it was the beer, the grill or the marinade, but it changed the entire texture, like the way steamed seitan tastes different than boiled seitan. The only changed I would've done was to make my own barbeque sauce rather than using the stuff in the bottle. With memorial day coming up, everyone should gives this a whirl. Trust me on this one! Have I let you down before? 

Swiss Chard Frittata

You Say Frittata. I Say Frittato...

     If you weren't convinced from the above information, my mom made this for me for breakfast. She was overwhelmed with the swiss chard coming from her CSA. Something I learned to overcome from last year's summer share with Bell Organic. So I suggested making this gem from Vegan Brunch. Oh, and she made daiya omelets from Vegan Brunch as well, but they were consumed long before someone could grab a camera. Read between the lines, I was stuffing my face, folks. Sorry to let, you down. But I'll make them for another post. So there, it's official, I have an amazing mom! 

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