Tamari-Dijon Marinade [Pan-Seared Seitan with Herbed Potatoes]

I had just made simmered seitan (a.k.a. “wheat meat”) for the first time and was looking to do something with it aside from freaking out about how I’d just created, from flour and some vegetable stock, cutlets that looked and felt and, uh, kind of smelled disquietingly like slices of pigs. But they weren’t!

So I was ready to pan sear them and serve them alongside some herb-baked potatoes. Not, however, before marinating them in some Tamari-Dijon Marinade (page 576). I chose it because it’s composed solely out of standard-pantry ingredients. I wasn’t expecting much, given the brief list of pedestrian ingredients. To my surprise, I couldn’t’ve chosen a better marinade. Uncomplicated, it was the perfect accent to the honest simplicity of my meal.

I’ll most definitely be keeping the Tamari-Dijon Marinade in mind for the next time I need to give something a good pre-preparatory soak.

-- Ulpia, gives savory baths to slices of wheat - -

Seitan Noodle Casserole - Guest Post by Kristin

I recently bought some seitan from a local natural foods store. I didn't realize till I got home that it was shaved seitan (cut very thinly). I had no idea what to do with that, so I stuck it in the freezer. I was looking through the book looking for something to make and saw the Seitan Noodle Casserole {p 316}. It looked perfect for the seitan in the freezer. I made this last night for dinner and thought it was just ok. I expected it to be creamier than it was (more like a tetrazzini). It tasted fine, but I'm not sure I'd make it again.

-- Kristin
Beans and Greens

Seitan and Potato Torta

I've never had a torta before, but anything layered with potatoes is good by me. Seitan and Potato Torta {page 315} was just such a dish.

In my limited knowledge, tortas are supposed to be round, correct? Unfortunately for me, I was lacking in round baking receptacles, so I had to use the 9x13" option Robin offered. The prep work of slicing all the potatoes took a little time, but it wasn't nearly so bad as I'd figured it might be. I had to use 2 tomatoes instead of just one, as one tomato barely covered half of the bottom of the pan. Once all the prep work was complete, however, the Supertoddler and I had a lot of fun layering ingredients, making this a really awesome recipe to make with your kids. He especially loved brushing the olive oil onto the layers of potatoes, and sprinkling with salt and pepper.

The top of my torta didn't brown much, even after 20 uncovered minutes in the oven, but the finished product was still delicious. The flavors are subtle, but definitely there, and overall it's a very satisfying and comforting dish. Ninjahusband was kind of ambivalent about it, but I chalk that up to present work stress {he works from home on Saturday nights}. The Supertoddler LOVED it, and devoured a large adult-sized serving.

This recipe has opened my mind to the world of tortas. Since dinner, visions of all the different types of tortas I could make have been dancing through my head. Oh the possibilities -- the possibilities!

-- Your Friendly Neighborhood Batgirl

Stuffed Baked Seitan Roast

I am a seitan junkie. There, I said it. Actually I am pretty sure I've said it already. :p As mentioned previously, even though I have my own favourite seitan recipes for all different applications, I'll still make any seitan recipe I come across. So of course I had to make the Stuffed Baked Seitan Roast (page 306) which uses dough from the recipe for Basic Simmered Seitan (page 305) and topped with Mushroom Sauce (page 546).

This stuffed roast recipe is fairly straight forward — make the stuffing, make the dough, roll it up and bake. Sounds easy? It was.

The stuffing was super easy to pull together. The recipe for that is fairly basic so you'll want to adjust to your tastes. Everyone has a different idea of what an ideal stuffing is and it is usually based on what you grew up with. Well, I grew up with Stove Top stuffing (yes, really!) so I judge all others by my memory of that stuffing which was my favourite part of holiday dinners. So because I have had a fondness for Stove Top, I wanted a super salty, overly seasoned stuffing. :p I added in some vegetable bouillon powder, some extra sage and thyme and a few dollops of margarine.

The seitan dough is also a fairly basic dough with a neutral taste that goes well with a delicious gravy or sauce. The dough was easy to put together with the most challenging part being to flatten and stretch it out. Robin uses a food processor to mix her seitan dough but I prefer using my hands. I make seitan a lot so I know by feel how much to knead it and whether it needs a touch more liquid. Now there's nothing wrong with the seitan dough for this application (baked, not simmered), but because it is not simmered in broth it was a little too neutral tasting for me. I think it would definitely benefit from more soy sauce and more seasonings as well as a spoon or two of chickpea flour for texture (my personal taste as I rarely make seitan with just vital wheat gluten and always add in chickpea or soy flour). Another thing that would take this to the next level would be a basting or glazing liquid since the top gets a bit crispy in the oven and can be hard to slice through straight out of the oven. Next time I'll also place in a loaf pan since the log seemed to flatten a bit during baking on just a flat pan. As with all seitan, it is better the next day after resting in the refrigerator.

All in all, this was a great basic recipe with loads of room to customise. It is especially a good recipe for those new to seitan and wanting to try something a little fancier like a stuffed roast. From start to finish, including baking time, was about 1.5 hours with (IMHO) fairly minimal prep work so you could totally whip this up for a weeknight dinner like I did. I'll definitely make this again but with some of the modifications I mentioned.

— Ms. Veganorama
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Previous blog entries:

Basic Simmered Seitan: 1, 2
Mushroom Sauce: 1, 2, 3

Basic Brown Sauce

As I talked about previously, I am definitely a gravy and sauce person. While making the Mushroom Sauce (page 546) for a previous dish of Soy-Tan Dream Cutlets (page 294), I spotted the Basic Brown Sauce (page 545) and bookmarked it for future use.

The Basic Brown Sauce recipe is inspired by the classic espagnole sauce, consisting of a mirepoix, roux, stock, wine, tomatoes (sauce or paste) and herbs. I'll admit here that pre-vegan, I don't think I've ever had a real classic espagnole sauce but I wanted to give this a shot anyway. With those ingredients, it's got to be good.

The sauce, as mentioned, starts with a mirepoix, then roux and the rest is similar to any other sauce recipe. I did deviate from this as I had no red wine (mon dieu!) so I had to substitute by using a splash of balsamic vinegar. I know it's not the same but the balsamic gave the sauce that extra bit of flavour and depth that was needed.

I served the sauce over some sliced Soy-Tan Dream Cutlets and it was a hit. The sauce is definitely a more complex tasting sauce compared to say, the Mushroom Sauce in the book and works well with heavier dishes like seitan.

The sauce itself is easy to make but a little more involved than other sauces as you need to purée it at the end.

If you've never had an espagnole sauce before (or even if you have), this is definitely worth a try. Remember with any sauce, it is only as good as your ingredients so do use a good stock and wine and you can't go wrong.

Bon appétit!

— Ms. Veganorama

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Previous blog entries:

Soy-Tan Dream Cutlets: 1, 2

Rustic Cottage Pie

Tonight's entree was Rustic Cottage Pie (p316). This hearty casserole utilizes both the Basic Simmered Seitan (p305), which I used in the Chile-Lime Tortilla Soup and the Mushroom Sauce (p546) Ms. Veganaroma noted in a previous post.

I wouldn't necessarily say this is a quick weeknight meal, unless you have the seitan ready to go (as in, thawed homemade or store bought). It's not complicated by any means, but it does include a few components. Manage your time well, better than I, and it could come together in a reasonable weeknight amount of time. While the potatoes are cooking, you can prepare the Mushroom Sauce and chop and saute the necessary veggies.

My modifications were as follows: five medium size white potatoes instead of Yukon Golds; left the skins on; baby bellas instead of white mushrooms (they are the ONLY mushroom I will put near my mouth); canned corn instead of frozen, as I am currently out of my freezer staple of Trader Joe's Roasted Corn, and my grandmother had a can ready for the borrow; used about 1/4c more Mushroom Sauce than called for.

My grandmother was very satisfied with this dish. It's hearty and homey, and something most grandmothers would love. Mr. V scarfed up a full plate almost before I could bat an eyelash. He said it very much reminded him of the Shepherd's Pies the British chefs would make for the British crew back in his working-on-cruise-ships days. Apparently this is a good thing. Having never tried Shepherd's Pie, I'll take his word for it. What I have tried is the Rustic Cottage Pie and can add my positive vote to its hearty deliciousness. Great cool weather comfort food.

--The Divine Miss V

Soy-Tan Dream Cutlets, Mushroom Gravy & Barley Pilaf

Whew! That title was a mouthful and it wasn't even the full titles. Be prepared for the WoT (wall of text) that follows below. If it's tl;dr (too long; didn't read), just skip to the last paragraph. :p

I love love love comfort food. I often make some sort of seitan with gravy and vegetables for a big dinner at least once a month, but sometimes two or three times a month. I'm a total sucker for this type of meal. Heavy and comforting! It was inevitable that I would then make the Soy-Tan Dream Cutlets (page 294) with Mushroom Sauce (page 546) and decided that I may as well make a side so I also made the Barley Pilaf with Carrots, Walnuts, and Golden Raisins (page 276) and a side of oven roasted broccoli and cauliflower (my own, not from the book).

As I mentioned in my Pad Thai post, seitan is another recipe that I will try from a book despite the fact that I already have my own tried and true recipes for seitan (of all variations). Because of that, I had the Soy-Tan cutlets bookmarked from day one. These were also made by The Divine Miss V in her Vietnamese Po-Boys post. Before I go any further, I need to stress to you, especially to my fellow freaks with a Tofu Xpress, DO NOT PRESS THE TOFU. It's tempting, I know, but don't. Put the gadget away. :p This is actually attempt number two since I did actually press my tofu the first time since I was on Tofu Xpress autopilot and it totally screwed things up.

The Soy-Tan Cutlets came together really quickly and easily. I doubled the recipe and removed a little bit of the tofu from a 14 oz package (the recipe for one batch calls for 6 oz) I substituted Braggs for the soy sauce since I was out and used the suggested amount of seasonings. They were pretty easy to work with, soft enough to press down into thin cutlets — a little sticky but not so much that they could not be handled. I fried them up as per the directions in the book. Now, here's where texture results may vary. My stove/range is electric and it is awful. I believe that the controls are not accurate so that when something is set as low, it's really more like medium and when set to medium it 's more like high and of course it takes forever after you adjust for the temperature to come down. As the the cutlets were frying and covered, they puffed up a lot in the pan. I make seitan of all sorts a lot so I knew that the quick expansion usually happens when there is too much heat applied too quickly. Also, I knew ahead of time how the texture is supposed to be versus what I got just by looking at the recipe. Stupid stove. When I removed them and put them on a rack to drain and cool a little they did lose a bit of puff but the interior wasn't quite like how it was supposed to be. It had quite a bit of air pockets due to the high heat (my stove's fault). It looked spongey but luckily it didn't actually feel spongey when you were eating it. Taste-wise it is seasoned perfectly to be used for other applications — not too salty and no one seasoning was overwhelming. I should also mention that with seitan, the texture is better the next day after being in the refrigerator overnight and that is also true for this (just tasted a leftover piece). The next time I make them I'll make them the day before I need them and I will fry on low heat due to my sucky stove. Update: I had a full piece reheated for lunch today and after sitting in the fridge overnight, the texture is perfect, so if you run into the same thing I did, eat it the next day.

The Mushroom Sauce was also quick to put together. With any gravy that uses vegetable stock, the stock you use is what's going to make or break the taste so use your favourite vegetable stock or bouillon cube. If you use a stock that doesn't taste good to you, the end product is going to suck. Okay back to the gravy. It is very similar to how I make my own gravy except that it uses a cornstarch slurry instead of a roux for thickening which works great especially if you are concerned about fat content. It also uses thyme as the main herb whereas I usually add in a lot of other herbs. Really it's just personal preference. Make as is the first time and adjust to your liking. If you want more of a holiday taste, throw in some sage as well. I did have a couple of minor changes. I used Braggs instead of soy sauce and also threw in some gravy browning for colour. I think the Braggs gave it a little extra taste and a little more depth. The gravy was pretty tasty and worked perfectly with the cutlets. I should mention that I also used a salted bouillon cube. With two cups of liquid and only a few spoonfuls of soy sauce, I think you need to use a salted stock or you'll really need to up the amount of soy sauce and salt.

Next up, the Barley Pilaf. We had guests in from out of town so I needed to double the recipe. One problem though, I only had 1 cup of barley but I had a ton of brown rice. So I made the doubled recipe with 1 cup barley and 1 cup brown rice. I also used some baby heirloom carrots instead of regular carrots and used dark Thompson raisins instead of golden raisins. Like the gravy, a pilaf made with vegetable stock is only as good as the stock you are using, so use your favourite stock or bouillon cube! The pilaf came together easily but needed to simmer for a bit since I had brown rice in the mix (about 50 minutes). I also put the raisins in when it was simmering since my raisins were sort of dry and hard and not super soft and plump. The pilaf was indeed a really nice change from my usual pilaf and the carrots, raisins and walnuts gave it some nice differences in texture and taste. It's also really nice with a spoon of margarine mixed into your individual portion for a little extra richness.

All in all this was a delicious dinner and everyone enjoyed it. Our houseguests weren't vegan but they also enjoyed it and finished everything on their plates. So that's 8 thumbs up in total from us 4 and another score for Team Vegan for showing folks that vegans eat very well.

— Ms. Veganorama

P.S. Time-wise this all took about 2 hours from start to finish including prep time. I probably could have shaved some time off that if I had managed my tasks a little better.

Chile-Lime Tortilla Soup

Tonight, in addition to Mr. V and myself, we had a guest taste tester. When expecting company, I typically stick with something tried and true so as not to embarrass myself. But in the face of the blog project I am fearless! It was somewhat a last minute invite, and with tonight's meal already planned, our guest knew he would be part of the experiment.

Thanks to preparing extra potatoes for last night's Spicy Chipotle Potato Quesadillas, there was enough left over to serve four of these bits of carb heaven as an appetizer.

Next, on to the main course--Chile-Lime Tortilla Soup (p145).



In preparation for this dish, I made the Basic Simmered Seitan (p305) last night. Seitan made using vital wheat gluten is quick and easy to put together, but it does require about an hour to simmer, so factor that into your timing when planning a meal. This recipe makes approximately two pounds, and since the soup recipe only called for 8oz, I have three more pieces labeled and stored in the freezer. Those will come in handy for busy weeknight meals.

My modifications to the soup recipe were minor. Instead of fresh serrano peppers I used pickled jalapenos; fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of plain; and I tossed in some frozen spinach at the very end. The instructions state to simmer for 20 minutes after bringing to a boil, and then to adjust flavors according to taste. I took a nibble at the 20 minute mark and thought "eh, maybe this won't be one of my faves." But something magical happened in the next ten minutes. The flavors came together exactly as I had imagined based on the ingredient list. This soup is deep and rich and full of flavor, belying it's brief simmer time. The fresh avocado balances beautifully with the spicy background of the soup. You could certainly enjoy this soup without it, but the cool and creamy avocado lends so much to the overall flavor experience, I highly recommend using it. Topping with baked corn tortilla strips adds a nice element of texture, both when crispy and after blending into the soup.

Mr. V and our guest proclaimed this dish a definite taste victory, and I agree. I also appreciate the fact that once you have seitan on hand, this soup comes together quickly--and deliciously. I would proudly serve again to company, or happily curl up on the sofa with a bowl and settle in for movie night. I might up the heat factor a bit next time, but that's just what I do.

--The Divine Miss V