Everyday is a Day of Thanks - Seitan with Cornbread Stuffing and Brown Gravy

My mother is certain that it's Thanksgiving. The fact that Autumn has brought a bit of a chill to the air and the nursing home decided to serve Roast Turkey last week (and she's in the early stages of dementia) has her thoroughly convinced. I started to correct her but decided there was little point in disagreeing.

Of course, she's concerned that I won't be eating turkey. I promised her that I would have something appropriate and set about making seitan and cornbread. This meal does take some advance planning since the cornbread works best after it has cooled for a couple of hours (preferably overnight) and seitan can be a bit of a project. But I think that, once she sees what I'm having, she'll approve.

And even though it isn't officially Thanksgiving, every day that she graces on this planet is a day of thanks for me.

SEITAN WITH CORNBREAD STUFFING AND BROWN GRAVY

Make the cornbread several hours ahead of time, preferably the day before. Click here for the recipe I used, substituting unsweetened soy milk. You might want to work on the seitan while the cornbread is baking. This recipe worked really well and made nice thin slices when done.

Stuffing:
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups whole wheat bread, cubed
2 cups cornbread, cubed
1/2 cup vegetable broth

Saute the onion and celery in the sesame oil. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spices with the bread and cornbread, mixing well. Add the onion and celery and stir to combine. Add broth just until moistened, adding more or less as needed.

Cut seitan roast in 1/8-1/4" slices. Lightly oil casserole dish or individual ramekins. Layer seitan and stuffing. Since I had some Simply Organic Vegetarian Brown Gravy Mix on hand, I went ahead and used that, adding 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence   Pour gravy over the seitan and stuffing layers. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Six Shades of Green - Enchiladas Verde

Firey Red Enchilada Sauce is one of my favorite condiments but sometimes, like today, I just want a nice mellow Salsa Verde. That means finding a filling that doesn't overpower it. Flashback to a 13-year-old Betty Crocker Easy Vegetarian Booklet. The original calls for shredded and cream cheese ... ingredients I no longer use. So I had to adapt it a bit. The results were pretty tasty.

ENCHILADAS VERDE

1 medium zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup spinach, chopped
4 medium green onions, sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground oregano
1 cup cannellini beans
1/2 package soft tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
12 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups prepared green sauce (salsa verde)
Avocado, green onions and cilantro for garnish

Sprinkle shredded zucchini with salt and let sit for about 30 minutes to sweat out excess moisture. Drain and dry. Combine zucchini, cilantro, spinach, onions, soy, cumin, chili powder and oregano in bowl. Mix well and set aside. In food processor, puree beans, tofu, nutritional yeast and garlic until smooth and spreadable. Add salt and pepper. Soften tortillas on hot griddle. Spread bean/tofu mixture on each tortilla,retaining a small amount for garnish, top with zucchini mixture and roll into enchiladas. Place seam side down in a lightly greased shallow baking dish. Top with salsa verde. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees until sauce bubbles. Dollop remaining bean/tofu mixture on enchiladas and garnish with sliced avocados, green onions and cilantro.

Hot/Cold, Tender/Crisp, Sweet/Sour

I hadn't realized how many contradictory terms punctuate my recipe files. But often the interplay of these flavors and textures turns ordinary ingredients into something noteworthy. Today, I decided to use up my last can of Vegetable Skallops and simmer them in a tasty sweet sour sauce.

SWEET SOUR SEITAN - Serves 3-4

1 can Worthington Vegetable Skallops, coarsely chopped
1 large can pineapple chunks with juice
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup date palm sugar (or sweetener of choice)
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp chinese five spice
2 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch
1 tbsp sesame oil
3-4 cups cooked brown rice

Saute skallops and onion until onion is translucent. Add bell pepper and pineapple. Cook until they start to brown.Whisk vinegar, sugar, water, soy sauce, seasonings and arrowroot in small bowl. Add to vegetables. Cook until thickened, adding more water if needed. Stir in sesame oil. Serve over rice.

Peanut Butter - Hold the Jelly

Okay ... I suppose of all my quirks and addictions, my penchant for peanut butter is the most benign. I put a spoon or two into my oatmeal along with sliced bananas, add it to my waffle batter with a little maple syrup, slather it on an English Muffin for a midnight snack, stir it into my butternut squash soup and sometimes even turn it into cookies with dark chocolate chunks. So it's probably not surprising that tonight it ended up in my oriental noodle dish.

VEGETABLE LO MEIN

8 ounces dry udon noodles
1/2 pound extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons arrowroot
1 cup vegetable broth, divided
3 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
1 teaspoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced on a diagonal
1 package broccoli slaw
8 ounces sliced mushroom
1 tablespoon sesame oil

1. Cook udon noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Marinate tofu in 2 tablespoons soy sauce, vinegar, and 2 teaspoons arrowroot for 15 minutes.
3. In a measuring cup, mix together remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon arrowroot, ½ cup broth, peanut butter, and chili sauce. Mix well and set aside
4. Spray a large wok (or large skillet) with cooking spray. Add tofu with its marinade to wok and stir-fry tofu until browned on all sides. Remove tofu and set aside.
5. Heat 1/4 cup broth in the wok and add onion, ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add celery, mushrooms and broccoli slaw. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add remaining 1/4 cup broth, cover, and steam vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes. Add tofu and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add sauce and sesame oil, turning to coat tofu and vegetables. Add cooked udon noodles and turn to coat noodles with sauce. 

Ratatouille + Pasta = Awesome Dinner

Summer is officially over but the squash plants don't seem to realize it ... and there are only so many ways you can eat zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant before the dishes all taste alike. Fortunately, I had some leftover marinara sauce and lasagna noodles on hand. And once the ratatouille is made, this dish goes together very quickly. 

• RATATOUILLE LASAGNA
• 1 small eggplant
• 2 zucchinis
• 1 red or yellow pepper
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp dried basil or 1/2 cup fresh
• 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp agave nectar
• 2 small yellow squash
• 1/2 cup pureed cannellini beans
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried italian seasoning blend
• 1 cup prepared marinara sauce
• 12 lasagna noodles

Chop onion and mince garlic. Saute over medium heat until softened. Add chopped yellow or red pepper. Peel eggplant and chop coarsely. Remove ends of zucchini and chop coarsely. Add to pan. Saute until slightly browned. Chop tomatoes, adding to pan. Stir in seasonings, tomatoes, vinegar and agave. Simmer until vegetables are tender crisp, adding water if needed. 

Meanwhile, chop yellow squash and steam until soft. Mash cooked squash in bowl. Add beans and nutritional yeast. Set aside. 

Cook noodles according to package directions. Spread thin layer of marinara in bottom of deep baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles, followed by a layer of the eggplant mixture. Spread half the yellow squash mixture over eggplant and top with noodles. Repeat layers. Top with marinara sauce.

Bake for half an hour at 350 degrees until sides bubble and casserole is firm.

Taco Night! Ole!

Seeing a Pinterest post for Cauliflower Buffalo Wings made me realize I hadn't made tacos in a while. I've tried them the traditional way, just substituting TVP for the Ground Beef and Daiya for the Cheese and those were great while I was transitioning. But now I tend to veer away from meat substitutes, figuring if that's what I need, then maybe I'm not really ready to go vegan full-time.

BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER SOFT TACOS WITH BROCCOLI SLAW IN RANCH DRESSING

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup hot sauce
2 Tbsp melted vegan margarine
1 tsp garlic powder
1 lb prepared broccoli slaw
1/2 cup vegannaise
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried dill weed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
12 corn tortillas

Steam cauliflower until tender crisp. Whisk hot sauce with melted margarine and 1 tsp garlic powder then toss with cauliflower to coat evenly. Saute until lightly browned.

While cauliflower is steaming, whisk remaining seasonings into vegannaise in medium bowl. I like mine really thick so the slaw doesn't get runny, but you can thin with soymilk if you prefer. Toss with broccoli slaw and set aside.

Heat tortillas on a griddle until heated through. Top with browned cauliflower and prepared slaw.

I'd tell you this will serve 3-4 people but I'd be lying ... I can eat 6 tacos all by myself!

Better Burgers

Nery is having so much fun in her kitchen these days ... creating all sorts of wonderful dishes from the Vegan Kickstart. This one even passed muster with her carnivorous spouse!

CHICKPEA SENSATION PATTIES

1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked chickpeas (drained)
2 medium-large garlic cloves, quartered
2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce (see note for gluten-free option)
2 tablespoons Braggs Aminos
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon capers
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice, divided
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons rolled oats

 
In a nonstick pan on medium heat, water saute onion, celery, salt, and black pepper for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion and celery start to soften. Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree chickpeas with garlic, Worcestershire sauce, aminos, thyme, capers, and salt. Add sauteed veggies and puree to incorporate. Add 1 cup brown rice and puree to combine, then add remaining rice and pulse to incorporate but retain some texture. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in oats. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up. Remove from refrigerator and form into patties with your hands. Fry for 6-9 minutes each side, until golden.