vegan BBQ soy curl plate

Craving some good, old fashioned cookout food? This Vegan BBQ Soy Curl Plate features savory, meaty soy curls with coleslaw, vegan mac & cheese, grilled broccoli, and a side of jalapeño cornbread.

Happy Friday, my dear friends! I am so excited to be sharing this new recipe today, as I have been working on it for quite a while! I recently bought some soy curls, and have been having some fun experimenting with them. My favorite way to enjoy soy curls is in a dish at my favorite vegan restaurant, Spiral Diner, here in DFW. Their "Hell's Half Acre Plate" features BBQ soy curls, homemade mac and cheese, coleslaw, grilled broccoli, and a slice of buttered Texas toast for the ultimate comfort food/cookout hybrid. It is SO GOOD. Since they are working with a limited carry-out menu at this time, I figured it was the perfect time to make it myself! My Vegan BBQ Soy Curl Plate has all of the same delicious components I love so much, in a way you can easily make at home!

Since this luscious BBQ soy curl plate has several different components to cook, I tried to make everything as simple as possible!

• The soy curls themselves are crazy simple - all you need are dried soy curls that you soak in some warm water to rehydrate for about 10 minutes, and your favorite vegan-friendly barbecue sauce. Like... legit. That's it!
• For the mac & cheese, I used the vegan Annie's mac & cheese from a box, but you can use your favorite homemade or store-bought kind. My creamy vegan pumpkin mac is pretty delicious, if I do say so myself.
• To make the coleslaw, I made a simple dressing with vegan mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and some garlic salt, and tossed in - you guessed it - a bag of store-bought shredded cabbage and carrots (coleslaw mix).
• For the "grilled" broccoli, I chopped up a fresh head of broccoli and added it to my stir fry pan with some hot oil. I added in some water to help them steam and soften, and then when the water all evaporated, they got a nice sear.
• Finally, in lieu of the classic Texas toast (because I didn't want to buy a whole loaf for 2 slices), I whipped up some homemade jalapeño cornbread muffins! I used my cornbread recipe but halved it, and got 8 muffins.
• Serve with some pickle slices (and sliced red onions too, if you want to be like Spiral), and dinner is served!!

What are soy curls?

• Soy curls are made of just one ingredient - whole soybeans! They are cooked low and slow in spring water and stirred, creating these uneven meaty pieces. They are then dried to be sold, and you soak them for about 10 minutes when ready to use! Honestly, it is a little unsettling how much rehydrated soy curls look like pieces of raw chicken.

Where can you buy soy curls?

• As far as I know, there is only one manufacturer of soy curls at this time and it is Butler Foods. I bought their curls on Amazon, but they are also available at vegan grocery stores. Of course, you can also buy directly from Butler Foods on their website!

How can I use soy curls?

• You can cook these any way you'd cook meat! I have used my beloved maple-mustard sauce on them and it was absolutely delicious. You could also make some fajitas, nachos, or even a nice plate of "chicken" alfredo. The possibilities are endless! The soy curls themselves don't taste like much, so you can season however you want.
• Honestly, my favorite way to make them is just like this - in this BBQ soy curl plate! You can definitely make things easier and just serve them with 1 or 2 sides, but I do love the whole lineup of cookout classics.

I hope you guys will give this amazing Vegan BBQ Soy Curl Plate a try because it is deeeeelicous and gives me all the Southern comfort food vibes! And if you've been wanting to try cooking soy curls at home, it is so easy and a great place to start. Happy cooking (and eating)!

Looking for more plant-based cookout goodness?

• Vegan BBQ Jackfruit Sliders with Green Apple Slaw
• Cheesy Vegan "Pulled Pork" Nachos
• Vegan Aloha Burger with Tempeh Bacon

Here is the jalapeño cornbread recipe if you want to make it - I halved recipe made 8 muffins. I baked them at 350F for about 25 minutes! I also skipped the "honey butter" glaze on top since they were already super moist and soft.

vegan BBQ soy curl plate

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Craving some good, old fashioned cookout food? This Vegan BBQ Soy Curl Plate features savory, meaty soy curls with coleslaw, vegan mac & cheese, grilled broccoli, and a side of homemade cornbread.

Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy

Recipe type: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• *for the soy curls*
• 1 cup dried soy curls
• ¼ cup vegan BBQ sauce
• 1-2 teaspoon olive oil
• *for the coleslaw*
• ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon garlic salt
• 3 cup shredded cabbage & carrots (coleslaw mix)
• *for the broccoli*
• 1 large head broccoli (about 2 cups florets)
• 1-2 teaspoon olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• to serve: your favorite vegan mac & cheese and buttered Texas toast or jalapeño cornbread muffins (recipe link above)

Instructions

1. First, start preparing your soy curls. Place your dried soy curls in a large bowl, and cover with warm water. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes so they can rehydrate.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the coleslaw. In another large bowl, mix up the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and garlic salt. Whisk to combine, and add in the shredded cabbage and carrots. Taste and add more seasoning as needed. Set aside for now.
3. Next, bring a small pot of water to a boil for your mac & cheese (if making). Make the macaroni according to package directions, and season as desired.
4. When almost ready to serve, prepare the broccoli. Rinse well, and cut into small florets. Heat the olive oil over medium-high in a large pan or wok pan, and add in the broccoli pieces. Pour in about ¼ cup of water, and allow the broccoli to cook until all the water is evaporated. Then, continue to cook, stirring often, until the edges get golden brown and charred. Remove from heat and season as desired.
5. Finally, finish the soy curls! Drain them, and squeeze to get any excess water off. Heat up a large pan (you can use the same one you cooked the broccoli in) and add in the olive oil.
6. Toss in the soy curls, and cook for a few minutes until golden brown. Stir in the barbecue sauce, and lower heat. Continue to cook until the barbecue sauce thickens and caramelizes.
7. To serve, dish up the soy curls, coleslaw, broccoli, and macaroni with some pickles and sliced red onion. Accompany with Texas toast or cornbread if desired!

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