Thanksgiving 2011: Seitan Roast

I saw the recipe on VegWeb for a Holiday Seitan Roast awhile ago and thought it sounded interesting. I love seitan, as evident in my two other posts about it, so I decided this year I would give the roast a try. But I deviated a from the recipe quite a bit. I boiled the roasts (the recipes makes two small loaves) first because I like the texture of boiled then baked seitan. Overall, I REALLY loved this dish. It was easy to make, flavorful and juicy. It even sops up gravy well. I am definitely be making this again sometime.

Seitan Roast

Broth:

5 cups vegetable stock

1 tbs soy sauce

1/4 an onion, cut into chunks

1 carrot, cut into chunks

A small pinch of salt and pepper 

Dough:

2 cups vital wheat gluten

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 cup vegetable broth 

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp house seasoning

A small pinch of salt and pepper 

Baste:

2 carrots, quartered 

1 small onion, quartered and sliced divided

2 cups vegetable broth (you can use the broth you boiled the seitan in)

2 tbs low sodium soy sauce 

1 tsp cumin

1 tbs Italian seasoning

In a large pot, add all the ingredients for the broth together and set aside. Do not turn the burner on yet. 

In a large bowl, add the vital wheat gluten and nutritional yeast and mix together lightly. 

Add the remanning ingredients and stir until it is too thick for a spoon.

Knead the dough the rest of the way until it comes together and is smooth. This should only take a minute or two so don't over knead. 

Divided in half and form into small loaves. 

Put the loaves into the broth, turn on the heat, and bring to a boil. Make sure to cover with a lid. 

Once it starts to boil, reduce to a simmer and keep the lid on. Boil for about 30 minutes total. 

While that boils, pre heat the oven to 350 and spray a baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine the all baste ingredients except the carrots and onion.

Remove the loaves from the broth and place them in the baking pan. Spread the quartered carrots and onions around the loaves and cover with half the baste.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the broth is absorbed. Cover with the remaining baste and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Plate, slice, and serve. I topped mine with some mushroom gravy. I think I will make this again for Christmas. 

Thanksgiving 2011

Sorry it took me awhile to post my Thanksgiving recipes (I had to work on Black Friday), but I had a nice little feast. It was a little challenging coordinating with my mom in Oregon to have the meal ready at the same time but I managed. In the end, Penny and I had a lovely dinner with my family over FaceTime. My seitan roast was awesome, I even dare say it was better than a Tofuky.

My ohana!

  I stuck pretty close to my previously mentioned menu, seitan roast with veggies, garlic mash potatoes, green beans with caramelized onions, canned cranberry sauce, and one of my Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes. I decided to post each recipe separately to make it easier, otherwise it would be one long and boring post. So look for these posts over the next couple days.

Happy kitty. 

After dinner I watch Miracle on 34th Street and worked on my list for Santa. It was nice to have a relaxing day and  "have" dinner with my family for once. Penny was happy to have me home all day, and even tried to "help" me set the table.

Look, mommy cleared the table off just for me.

Holiday Cream of Wheat

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday filled with joy and are surrounded by those you love. I would like to take a moment to share what I am thankful for:

My amazing family who always supports and loves me.
My sorority sisters who still are my rock 2 years after graduation.
The privilege of higher education.
The aloha spirit of Hawaii.
All my readers and subscribers.
My darling litte kitty Penny who makes me smile everyday with her love and antics.

Took forever to get her to sit still and face the camera!

I will be posting the recipes for my dinner tomorrow, but I thought I would share a lovely idea for a holiday breakfast.

Like most babies, my mom fed me farina, more commonly known as Cream of Wheat. She says I loved it so much that I would practically fall out of my highchair in excitement the minute I saw the box. And to this day, it makes me so happy when I eat it. I have no idea why, guess it just brings back childhood memories. I saw a box of Cream of Wheat on sale at the grocery store and couldn't resist. I normally eat oatmeal for breakfast because of all its health benefits, but I figured if I can't have my family for the holidays, I can something that conjures up happy memories.




While I was heading to the registers, something else caught my eye: Rice Nog. It's pretty much a spiced up version of Rice Dream's Vanilla Rice Milk. I've only had egg nog once before I went vegan, and to be honest, I liked the flavor but it was too rich for me. I was curious if a non-dairy version with way less fat would be better, so I bought a carton. I poured a small glass of it the next morning and was pleased. The flavor is perfect, and creamy without being overly rich. My only complaint is that it isn't thick like egg nog, but that probably because of the lower fat content.


Then I realized it would be perfect in farina because it is already spiced and sweetened. I added some raisins for added fiber and I made myself a lovely little holiday treat. This makes one serving, but can easily be multiplied.

Holiday Cream of Wheat
1 and 1/4 cup Rice Nog
3 tbs quick cook Cream of Wheat
Pinch of salt (optional)
1/8 cup raisins (1/4 is a serving, but I find that is too many raisins)
Nutmeg, to garnish

















In small pan, bring the Rice Nog to a boil.

Add the Cream of Wheat, whisking continuously for a minute to prevent lumps.

Let it cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often to prevent lumps.

Once the farina is cooked and it has thicken to desired consistency, remove from heat and add the raisins.












Serve in a bowl and garnish with a touch of nutmeg.

A big bowl of holiday happiness!

Thanksgiving Menu

Since a few people have asked already, I thought I would post the menu of what I will be making for Thanksgiving. I am staying in Hawaii and have to work the next day (yeah 10 hour retail shift) so I am just staying home and cooking for myself. But don't worry, I won't be alone. Being a member of very close and very nerdy family, I am making my meal at the same time as my family back in Oregon, and will be eating with them over FaceTime.

And of course, I have my darling little kitty Penny, she is getting a nice treat too. I am making her chicken (from a local organic farm, and no I don't believe cats are meant to be vegan) and brown rice.

Here is my menu:
Homemade Seitan Roast (based on the one from VegWeb)
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Pan-roasted Green Beans with Caramelized Onions
Pumpkin Spice Cake (from the recipe I posted last week, I made one big cupcake and froze it)
Homemade Cranberry Sauce (maybe)


If you don't want to go to all the trouble of making your own turkey alternative like I am, I highly suggestion a Tofurky. I don't know how Turtle Island does it, but their vegetarian roasts are juicy, flavorful, and savory. They are so good, I eat them all year round. If this is your first meat-free holiday season, a Tofurky is a great transition. Plus, you get to break the Jurky wishbone!

I can't wait for Thursday, and I am sure is Penny is excited too (she loves chicken). Lucky her just gets to sleep while I cook it all.

Wake me when the food is ready.

Oh, I almost forgot, the wine! I am deciding between a sparkling or a nouveau beaujolais.

Lentil Burgers and Homemade French Fries

As awesome and convenient as frozen, pre-made veggie burgers are, they are still a processed food. Just because something is meat and dairy free, doesn't mean it still doesn't have preservatives and fillers. On occasion when you are working late or in a hurry, they can make a fine dinner. But, the best way to get a good meat-free burger is to make it yourself. My favorite alternative burger is lentil. I first had one in this little restaurant by the Opera House in Sydney, Australia. It had great flavor and a meat-like texture. Like beef, it will take on the flavor of whatever you season it with, so you can make Southwest burgers with chili and cilantro, Indian with cumin and curry---or any other flavors you like. These are just basic burgers, so feel free to experiments with the spices. This recipe makes about 2 burgers and can be easily multiplied.

And what would a good burger be without fries. Making your own fries is just as easy as opening up a bag of processed frozen ones. Just cut, soak, season, and bake. And yes bake, not fry. Baking is so much healthier, no one needs to be eating deep fried foods. This recipe makes one serving and be easily multiplied as well.

Lentil Burgers

1 cup dried lentils
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italians ones, but it plain is fine)

1/4 cup onion, pealed 

2 cloves garlic, pealed 

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp house seasoning






Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Rinse and pick through the lentils.

Cooking the lentils according to the directions on the package.

Drain the lentils and let them cool for a bit.

In a food processor or blender, at the lentils and remaining ingredients. Process until blender and fairly smooth. It's okay if there are some big chunks.

Form into patties and let them chill in the fridge for a few hours. This allows them to firm up and hold up better while cooking.

Now, you can fry them in a pan but I get better results baking in the oven. Lightly spray a baking sheet and place the patties on. Bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping half way through.

Since you have the oven all hot, might as well be efficient and throw some fries on the pan too.




Homemade French Fries
1 small russet potatoes
Water
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp house seasoning, depending on taste











Wash the potato very well.

Cut the potato in 1/4 inch strips.

In the small bowl, add enough water to submerge the potatoes and then stir in the salt. Add the potatoes and soak for 15 minutes. This will add some flavor and remove some of the starch.

Drain the potatoes well and lightly dry.

In small bowl, add the potato sticks and house seasoning. Coat the sticks well.

You can cook them at the same time as the burgers on the same baking sheet. Spread the sticks in an even layer on part of the baking sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, same as the burgers, until golden.

I didn't have any buns, so I just ate mine plain. But I suggest a nice whole wheat bun, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a good pickle on the side. I dipped my fries in some mustard and sweet chili sauce mix. If you go for ketchup, get the unsweetened all natural stuff. A lot of the big commercial brands are loaded with sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

A classic American meal with a fantastic healthy twist. Loves it!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Foodbuzz selected me for another free coupon giveaway! This time I got two coupons from Duncan Hines and one from Comstock-Wilderness.  I have been wanting to make a pumpkin spice cake for awhile so I was very happy to get the coupons. I used the coupons to get a box of Duncan Hines Spice Cake, a can of  Buttercream Frosting, and a can of Comstock Apple Pie Filling. Surprisingly, they are all vegan! But, they are processed food, which should always be eaten in moderation. Like Cookie Monster says, sweets should be a sometimes food. Processed foods should never be the main staple of your diet. That being said, there are things you can do to box mixes to make them healthier. Just preparing them vegan alone cuts out all the cholesterol. Rather than oil, I used apple sauce. And for more nutrition, I added pumpkin puree.  For the frosting, I blended the Apple Pie Filling so it was a bit smoother, then added it to the frosting.

These cupcakes combine classic holiday flavors into a small little treat. Could even make a wonderful Thanksgiving dessert.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
1 box of Duncan Hines Spice Cake
1 cup apple sauce
3/4 cup rice milk (soy is fine too)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 can of Duncan Hines Buttercream Frosting
1 can of Comstock Apple Pie Filling











Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a cupcake tin with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, add the cake mix, apple sauce, and rice milk. Mix together well.

Add the pumpkin puree and baking soda, then beat together for 2 minutes.

Fill the cupcake tin 3/4 of the way full and bake for for 18-21 minutes.

The cupcakes are ready when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once ready, let them cool in the tin for a bit, then remove and let them cool completely before frosting.

While those cool, puree the apple pie filling until smooth.

In a small bowl, mix together the puree and the butter cream frosting. If it's too runny, add some powdered sugar to tighten it up. Refrigerate until the cupcakes are ready to be frost.

Finally, frost the cupcakes anyway you like. I really suck at decorating. If I was in Oregon, I would have begged my mom to decorate them for me. But, I did garnish with a little nutmeg and raw sugar for fun. 

The applesauce and pumpkin puree make the cupcakes so moist, definitely what I have been craving. Thank you Foodbuzz, Duncan Hines and Comstock-Wilderness! I am bringing this cupcakes to a friend's house, I hope she and her roommates like them.