EMMET OTTERS JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS: A Mess of Mama’s Vegan BBQ

Normally, we don’t watch Christmas movies in March. Okay… that’s a total lie.  We love Emmet Otters Jug-band Christmas and we watch this Jim Henson classic all the time, no matter what time of year it is.  If you’ve never seen it, you have GOT to rent it (I happen to know it is available on Netflix).

So… Mmmmm. BBQ.  There’s something about the smell and taste of BBQ that makes people go crazy and put holes in their mother’s washtubs and all sorts of things 🙂 Get ready to fire up the oven for this delicious BBQ tofu or seitan, depending on your preference.  Personally, I like to make both at the same time because I enjoy them both for their unique personalities.  You MAY want to make a double batch of BBQ sauce to ensure you will have plenty.  Don’t forget you will need a little extra sauce to make some baked beans (recipe below)!

I like to bake my tofu first to give it a slighty-tougher exterior (optional but definitely recommended to help the tofu from crumbling apart), then I skewer it, put it in sauce and bake it some more (or throw it on the grill).  This is a great way for the kids to eat it cause they can just eat the cubes off the stick without turning into a big mess (though you will probably end up with some BBQ sauce mustaches here and there)!

Using seitan is easy because it is pre-cooked when you buy it, so basically you can throw the chunks of seitan in a pan with some sauce and bake it until is hot and crispy-like.  BBQ seitan makes a great sandwich, especially if you add sauteed green pepper and onion!!

BBQ Sauce (makes 2 cups)

Blend in the food processor:

• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp molasses
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• dash cayenne

Cooking Tofu:

Press tofu for at least 15 minutes (wrap it in a towel and put something heavy on it, like a big fat cookbook).  Then cut it into cubes and bake with a little olive oil at 400 F for about 25 minutes, stirring often, until it starts to develop a little tough skin.  Then skewer the tofu cubes on little skewers and put in a dish and cover with sauce.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes covered, 10 uncovered, turning occasionally in the sauce, basically until you think it seems nice and done!

Cooking Seitan:

Since seitan is precooked, simply put it in a dish and cover it with sauce.  Cook at 400 F until hot throughout and sauce thickens nicely… about 20-30 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally. That’s all there is to it!

Baked Beans

These baked beans are SO easy and they are made a little different from traditional baked beans because they are made using kidney beans instead of white beans.  Though you could surely use those too.  It just depends on what you’ve got around!  For some reason, I have TONS of kidney beans, which is how this recipe came about.

Mix and cook down on medium heat, stirring often, for about 30 minutes, until it’s as saucy as desired.

• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce (above)
• salt and pepper to taste

(And in case you forgot the lyrics… )

When you meet somebody that don’t like soul food, they still got a soul… And it don’t mean that you got no rhythm if you don’t like rock ‘n’ roll.. But if your taste’s like mine, you like cider, not wine, and your very favorite thing to do is get a purty girl dancing to jug band music and a mess of mama’s barbecue.

Barbecue! Bless my spirit! I swear that never fails, And the sauce mama makes just stays there forever if you dare to get it under your nails.

Well, you may be poor with the wolf at your door, but money isn’t everything; But you still got the sun and a river full of fun, and you always have a song to sing; So you get that frown off your face. We’re gonna replace it with a grin and a dream come true, With a purty girl dancing to jug band music and a mess of mama’s barbecue.

Barbecue! Bless my spirit! I swear that never fails, And the sauce mama makes just stays there forever if you dare to get it under your nails.

So get the frown off your face. We’re gonna replace it with a grin and a dream come true, With a purty girl dancing to jug band music and a mess of mama’s barbecue.

That’s a purty girl dancing to jug band music and a mess of mama’s barbecue, Mess of mama’s barbecue.

(song by paul williams)

Although, my favorite song may very well be the “We’re Closer Now/Brothers”  duet ❤