Meatless Mondays: The Sandwich

This is it. The sandwich. Even a carnivore liked it. As for the vegetarians? Well, bliss! The secret's in the sauce. :-) (And shhh! It's vegan!)

Here's how to make it.

First, make the Cole Slaw. That way, you can let it mellow while you're preparing everything.
You will need:
1/4 head of cabbage
1 firm, sweet apple (I usually use Gala or Pink Lady)
1 small, sweeter onion (I used a young Walla Walla this time)
1/4-1/2 c. Vegannaise (you can use regular mayo if you eat eggs and prefer it)
2-4 T. Cider vinegar
Prepared mustard, to taste
Agave nectar (you can use white sugar if you prefer), to taste

Chop, slice, or grate the cabbage and put it into a large bowl.
Grate the apple (skin and all) and onion (not the skin, please) into a smaller bowl. Add the Vegannaise and stir well. The sauce will be thick and chunky, which is okay. Add some mustard. I use about a tablespoonful, depending on how hot it is. Stir it all together. Then, add in the agave nectar (I use about the same amount of sweetener as I do mustard... add it slowly, as the apples and cabbage are sweet). Stir it all together. Add some cider vinegar. The sauce will still be full of lumps, but it won't hold its shape at all. Dump it onto the cabbage and stir well. Give it a taste. If it needs something, add it. You might need to add more Vegannaise if the sauce didn't cover everything.

Put that in the fridge.

Now, for the Barbecued Tofu.
You will need:
A block of extra firm tofu
About a cup and a half of your barbecue sauce
Half an orange
A dried chili pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Put the barbecue sauce into a pot on the stove and heat it gently. Add the juice from the orange and the dried chili and stir. Let it bubble gently.
Slice the tofu. You want about 8 slices from the block.
Put about half of the sauce into a bowl and coat each slice of tofu with it. Place the tofu slices on a lightly greased cookie sheet and put it in the oven. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time. (You can alter the cooking time and temperature depending on how you like your tofu. A hotter oven or longer cooking time will make it chewier and get you some of that nice burned-on caramelized sauce. A cooler oven will keep the tofu more tender.)
When the tofu is done, take it off of the cookie sheets and cube it. Be careful, it's hot! Toss the tofu cubes with half of the remaining barbecue sauce.

To assemble the sandwiches, toast your rolls or buns. Melt some cheddar (Follow Your Heart makes a great vegan cheddar) onto the tops. Put the tofu on the bottom bun. Add some diced, drained pineapple if you want to. Drizzle with more sauce if you would like to. Top that with a scoop of the cole slaw. Put the cheesy bun on top of that. Eat it.

You will probably need napkins, and this is a bad choice for a first date.