Vegan Čevapčiči with Tzatziki Salad

47g protein

Recipe by Nikoleta, vegan cook and author of every recipe in the Tofu app · @surovadcerka

Ingredients

čevapčiči

• 300 g vegetable broth
• 40 g beetroot (cooked or sterilized)
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 80 g red onion (diced)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp smoked paprika (powder)
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp shiitake mushroom powder (or nutritional yeast or other ground mushrooms)
• 60 g soy sauce
• 50 g tomato paste (concentrated)
• 20 g cane molasses
• 4 tsp liquid smoke
• 25 g coconut oil (unflavored)
• 100 g soy granules (TVP)
• 160 g vital wheat gluten

tzatziki

• 250 g vegan sour cream
• 20 g olive oil (extra virgin)
• 150 g cucumber
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 5 g fresh dill (chopped)

Contains: celery, gluten, soy

How to make it

1. Begin by preparing the vegetable broth and cooking the red beets. Heat the vegetable. Cook the beets in water until tender. Canned beets work perfectly too — they mainly add beautiful color to the čevapčiči.
2. Heat some rapeseed oil in a pan and sauté the diced onion over medium heat until golden.
3. Once golden, add the grated fresh minced garlic and sauté for one minute. When the garlic becomes fragrant, remove everything from heat.
4. Add 300 g of broth, cooked beetroot, sautéed onion, roasted garlic, and all remaining ingredients except the soy chunks and vital wheat gluten to a blender. Blend until smooth to create a marinade for the soy granules.
5. Place the soy granules in a bowl and pour the marinade over them. Let them sit for about 10 minutes or until softened.
6. Once the granules soften, add the wheat gluten and knead the mixture by hand to activate the gluten. You should immediately see gluten strands forming that will hold the mixture together.
7. Divide the mixture in half and return it to the blender. Brief blending is enough to break up some soy pieces and create a smoother, more paste-like mixture.
8. Work the blended mixture briefly with your hands, ensuring it's firm and easy to work with. If it doesn't hold together well enough, add more wheat gluten.
9. Wrap the mixture in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Ideally, let it rest overnight so the flavors meld and the mixture holds together better.
10. After chilling, shape the čevapčiči by taking about 40g of the meat mixture and forming it into a thin sausage. Pierce each one with a toothpick.
11. Wrap each čevapčiči in aluminum foil and tightly seal the ends so it keeps its shape.
12. Bake the čevapčiči for 30 minutes at 175°C. This method retains their softness and tenderness.
13. After baking, unwrap the pieces from foil and briefly sear them in a pan or on a grill to create a crispier surface that adds a wonderful new level of flavor.
14. Peel half of a salad cucumber and grate it on a coarse grater.
15. Squeeze the grated cucumber by hand to remove excess water that would make your salad too watery. Grate the garlic on a fine grater.
16. In a bowl, whisk together plant-based cream, quality extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper.
17. Fold in the grated cucumber, garlic and chopped dill.
18. Mix everything well and refrigerate to let the flavors meld while you prepare the čevapčiči, potatoes or other vegetables for serving.

Nutrition