cordon bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu is a popular dish of ham and swiss cheese wrapped inside a chicken breast, which is then breaded and fried. We can do better than that, though, so here is an easier (and kinder) Cordon Bleu.

This sandwich is presented on a homemade bun with a slice of seitan that has been seared. The seitan is topped with smoky seitan that is thinly sliced and then is topped with vegan Swiss cheese. The final addition is a maple-mustard sauce that is as delicious as it is easy to make.

While this sandwich comes together in as little as 15 minutes, including the sauce, there is no denying that most of the work is done beforehand: seitan, bread and cheese, if making it homemade. However, once you have all the components, it is a snap.

This is one of those sandwiches whose total is so much better than the parts. In fact, as you are making your various kinds of seitan, keep this sandwich in mind to use up any leftovers.

Cordon Bleu Sandwich

Makes 4 sandwiches

Sauce:

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil or vegan mayonnaise

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Sea salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

12 thin slices vegan ham

4 vegan scallopini or seitan slices (about 1/2-inch thick)

4 slices vegan swiss cheese or other vegan cheese

4 kaiser rolls or burger buns, split and toasted 

1. Sauce: Combine the mustard, oil, vinegar, maple, lemon juice and salt and pepper, to taste, in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ham slices and cook until golden brown. Set aside. Add the vegan scallopini and season with salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown and flip. Add the reserved slices of ham, three to a scallopini and a slice of cheese. Add a teaspoon of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook until the cheese melts. 

3. Spread some sauce on the bottom of the buns. Add a cordon bleu stack and top with more sauce. Add the top of the roll and serve immediately. 

© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

smothered burritos

Smothered Burritos, wet burritos and enchilada-style burritos are all about the same thing: large enchiladas that are covered with red, green or white sauce. The filling can be varied, and they can include roasted vegetables, potatoes, vegan meats, vegan grounds, etc - limited only by your taste and imagination.

These burritos are just a springing board for you. Take this idea and run with it!

My burritos are filled with vegan chicken (I used Tofurkey slow roasted, this time), cumin rice, vegan cheese, cilantro and scallions. Traditionally, refried beans are also an addition.

In my mind, the appeal with smothered enchiladas versus traditional enchiladas is the speed: it is faster to roll up four burritos than to roll up a dozen small tortillas. In addition, enchiladas are still baked for about 30 minutes, but these are just broiled to melt the cheese.

In order to keep things easy and fast, you can use canned enchilada sauce, or you can make the one in the recipe, since you have to make the rice anyway.

Use the Instant Pot or a rice cooker to cook your rice, making it a hands-free affair.

Again, with my son having IBS I opted for brown rice tortillas, no beans, green parts of the scallions, and rice that is fresh and warm. The sauce is also pretty mild because I ground dried California chiles for the chili powder, but you can always up your spice.

The family was quite happy with these and I was happy because it was ready in about 35 minutes, including the broiling.

And...

Today is the last day to enter the giveaway for The China Study Family Cookbook! Enter HERE.

Smothered Burrito
Makes 4 burritos

Cumin Rice:
1 cup dry long grain rice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Sea salt and black pepper
Water, as needed

Red Sauce (or use a 20-ounce can vegan enchilada sauce):
1 tablespoon neutral oil
2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry or all-purpose flour
1/4 cup tomato paste (not concentrate)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Filling:
2 tablespoons garlic oil or olive oil (optional)
2 cups chopped seitan, or vegan chicken strips (Tofurkey or Beyond Meat)

Other:
4 large fajita tortillas (or even bigger)
1 cup refried beans (optional)
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese
Vegan sour cream thinned with a few tablespoons of water
Shredded lettuce
Sliced black olives

1. Rice: Add the rice, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, to taste, to a rice cooker. Add the required amount of water. Cook the rice according to appliance directions. Keep warm.

2. Red Sauce: Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until the paste darkens, about 3 minutes. Add the chili and cumin. Mix well and add the broth slowly, whisking with a whisk to prevent lumps. Add the salt, bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 5 minutes and remove from heat.

3. Filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the seitan or vegan chicken until golden, about 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste.

4. Warm the tortilla directly over the stove, about 10 seconds. Do not burn. Warm them so that they don’t crack when folded.

5. Place the tortilla on a work surface. Add 1/4 of: the seitan, the beans (if using), the scallions, and the cilantro. Add a large scoop of the rice (about 1/4) and a tablespoon of cheese to each burrito. Fold up the bottom flap, then fold the right and left flaps and roll up the burrito. Add them to a broiler-safe pan. Smother with 3/4 of the sauce and add the remaining shredded cheese. Broil until the cheese melts.

6. Place each burrito on a plate and garnish with lettuce, olives and sour cream sauce. 



© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

larb spring rolls

Heads – up: I’m still on my sandwich kick, but this time without a bread. Folks might argue that spring rolls aren’t “sandwiches” but I strongly believe that anything rolled, wrapped or stuffed into a vessel counts in this arena and I’m quite comfortable with my definition.

I am such a sucker for larb, the Laos minced meat dish, which is traditionally flavored with lots of lime, mint and fish sauce. I love it so much that I include this unique and unusual combination in a bowl version in my book, Vegan Bowls.

These spring rolls are stuffed with the larb mixture (made of seitan, cashews and onion), noodles, herbs, carrots and cabbage. They are pretty quick to make and taste great!

To make eating the rolls easier, slice the seitan or mushrooms instead of mincing them – which is what I should have done as well, but I forgot about my intentions before pulsing the seitan in the food processor and by that time it was too late.

If this one looks good, check out my Bulgogi Spring Rolls from a few months back. That one is a bit more involved, but worth every tasty bite.

Larb Spring Rolls 

Serves 4

Sauce:

¼ cup lime juice

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari

2 teaspoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

Filling:

1 teaspoon oil

2 cups ground seitan or 1 pound minced mushrooms

½ small red onion, cut into thin half moons

½ cup cashews

Rolls:

8 (9-inch) spring roll wrappers

¼ cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

½ cup mint, coarsely chopped

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 medium carrot, julienned

4 ounces dry rice noodles or bean thread, cooked, drained and cooled under running water, reserve the hot water for the spring roll wrappers

1. Sauce: Combine the lime juice, tamari, sugar and salt. Mix well. Set aside. 

2. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the seitan and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. If using mushrooms, cook until the mushrooms are golden, about 8 minutes. You might need to cook the mushrooms in batches to avoid steaming them. Add the onion and cashews and cook until the cashews are golden, about 2 minutes. Add half of the sauce and cook until it evaporates, about 30 seconds. Set aside. 

3. Dip a spring roll wrapper into the hot water reserved from the pasta and soak for 5 to 10 seconds, depending on how hot the water is. Soak only until the wrapper is pliable. It will soften once you add the other moist ingredients. To the lower half of the wrapper, add herbs, the filling, cabbage, carrot and noodles. Roll up like a burrito: from the back roll to halfway and then fold in the sides. Finally roll it all the way up.  Serve with the rest of the sauce or store, covered, for later enjoyment. 

© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

baked broccoli and seitan pasta

Meal 3 in the Prep Ahead Week 4 plan is a creamy, cheesy, pasta bake. The sauce is a sun-dried tomato bechamel that coats the pasta perfectly. In fact, if you aren't a fan of whole grain pasta, this sauce is the ultimate foil.

The sauce has just the right amount of sun-dried tomatoes and gives the sauce its own unique flavor. I love sun-dried tomatoes but even I notice when there is just too much of it, so I was very pleased with the flavor outcome of this bake.

For the Prep Ahead meal the pasta and broccoli are cooked the night before and then melded with the sauce and seitan. For this stand alone version, you cook the pasta and broccoli and bake. You can even increase the broccoli in this dish to 2 pounds and skip the seitan altogether, if that's your wish.

I had a little bit of a Daiya block leftover from another dish that needed using up, so I finely grated some on the pasta, but that is just extra icing on the cake. If you like your broccoli green and crisp-tender, cook it separately and add it to the pasta in the last few minutes of baking.

Baked Broccoli and Seitan Pasta
Serves 4 to 6 

Béchamel ingredients: 
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons white miso
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried thyme

12 ounces penne pasta
12 ounces broccoli, chopped
1/2 pound seitan, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400-degrees F. Combine the broth, miso and nutritional yeast in a bowl or blender. Whisk or blend until smooth. Set aside. 
2. Add the onion to a large pot over medium heat. Cover and cook. Chop the tomatoes into 1/4-inch slices and add to the pot. Add garlic to the pot. Add a splash of broth if the onion is burning. Cook until the onion is golden. Add the flour. Add the thyme and mix well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.
3. Slowly add the broth mixture to the pot and use a whisk to mix until the sauce is smooth. Bring to simmer to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. 
4. Cook the pasta al dente. Add the broccoli during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water and add to a 13x9-inch baking dish.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Spray with oil or add 1 teaspoon oil. Cook the seitan until golden. Add the seitan to the baking dish.
6. Add the bechamel sauce to the baking dish and toss well. Add some of the reserved cooking water, as needed to make a creamy sauce. Bake until bubbly and heated-through, about 30 minutes. Stir once halfway through baking. Serve.




© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

pickled vegetables salad

Salad is probably the last thing you truly want to have in the middle of the winter, but this Pickled Vegetables Salad features roasted home-pickled cauliflower, so there is a warming element to the meal.

I originally served this with Smoky Seitan, but when I cut the Prep Ahead Week 3 menu from 7 to 5 days, I also cut the seitan. I think the salad is just great with or without it, so I am including it here, just in case you'd like to make it with seitan, too.

The salad doesn't just have roasted pickled cauliflower, it also features quinoa, greens and a bean salad filled with celery, olives, roasted bell peppers, and cannellini beans. The dressing for the bean salad can be made with yogurt or with oil.

Serve this salad as is, or toast some slices of French bread and rub them with a large clove of garlic. If nothing else, this is a very unique salad to enjoy in the middle of winter.

Pickled Vegetables Salad

Makes 4 servings

Cauliflower Ingredients:

1/2 cup vinegar, white wine or other

3 cups water

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs fresh oregano

2 teaspoons salt

2 pounds cauliflower

1 cup chopped seitan (optional)

Bean Salad Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sliced celery

1 (16-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and sliced

1 cup green olives, chopped

1/4 cups olive oil or unsweetened plain nondairy yogurt

2 cups or 1 (15-ounce) can cooked cannellini beans 

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

2 heads Romaine lettuce, chopped

1. For the cauliflower: Combine the vinegar, water, bay leaf, sprigs of oregano, and salt  in a medium pot. Bring to boil. Break the cauliflower into florets. Add to the pot. Cook, covered, low  

until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup of brine to cool and set aside. Drain the cauliflower. Add the cauliflower to a baking sheet. Add the chopped saiten. Broil until golden, about 10 minutes. Spray with oil, if desired. Remove and discard the bay leaf and oregano stalks.

2. For the bean salad: Add the celery to a medium bowl. Add the red peppers, the olives, the olive oil or yogurt, the reserved brine and the beans. Mix and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. For the quinoa: Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, cover, reduce to simmer and cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside (still covered) for 10 minutes. 

4. Serve the salad: place romaine lettuce in a bowl, top with quinoa, top with bean salad and finally with the roasted cauliflower.

© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

seitan shawirma

Before we get into this recipe, which happens to be an authentic Middle Eastern shawirma sandwich (based on Holy Land's recipe - which, unfortunately, uses animals), that features seitan marinated in spiced yogurt sauce before air-frying to perfection,

I want to formally announce the release my newest cookbook, Aquafaba [Amazon, B&N, Book Depository]. This book is all about making and utilizing bean water to make formerly egg-based creations, such as macarons, burgers, whipped topping, ice creams and dozens of other sweet and savory items.

A few noteworthy sites to visit:

To find the table of contents of Aquafaba, go HERE.
To find the blog tour for Aquafaba, go HERE.

Back to the wrap:

As I said above, this is a marinated seitan sandwich, but, of course, with my twist on it; I added air-fried potatoes, and, of course, the requisite pickles. You can jazz this up even more by adding lettuce, tomatoes and hot sauce.

To begin with, make the yogurt-based marinade and let your seitan sit for however long you like. Minimum is 30 minutes, but overnight is just fine. You can even use chickpeas in this recipe or just in the marinade - it makes terrific roasted chickpeas, which you can just eat alone or toss into wraps (like this one) or on salads.

When you are ready, just drain the seitan and air-fry it. If you don't have an air-fryer then bake it or saute it, but the air-fryer puts a nice crust on the seitan without drying it out.

Although I grouped the seitan pictures together (marinating the seitan and cooking it), because it makes sense visually, when it comes time to actually cook it (and you are using an air-fryer; if baking you can bake them at the same time), fry the potatoes first because they take longer. Just keep them warm.

The marinade acts as double duty. Once it is drained, mix it with the rest of the yogurt and season with salt and pepper. No waste and no extra sauce assembly required.

I love shawarma prepared in any way and this shawirma recipe is unique because of the marinade. It is a bit easier than other shawarma recipes and comes with a built in sauce. Not to mention delicious.

Seitan Shawirma 
Serves 4

Marinade:
1/4 cup unsweetened plain nondairy yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce
1/2 small onion, grated
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups chopped seitan

Sauce:
6 tablespoons unsweetened plain nondairy yogurt
Black pepper

Other:
3 medium red or yellow potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Fresh lemon juice or oil spray
4 large tortilla wraps
Pickles

1. Marinade: Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, tahini, worcestershire, onion, garlic, garam masala and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk well to combine. Add the seitan and mix. Set aside to marinade at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. 
2. Bake the potatoes while the seitan is marinating. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and spray with oil or drizzle with a teaspoon of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to an air-fryer and bake for 15 minutes at 360-degrees and then another 10 minutes at 390-degrees. Stir or shake the basket every 10 minutes. Alternatively, bake the potatoes on a pre-heated 400-degree oven until tender and golden, about 40 minutes. 
3. Drain the seitan well, reserving the marinade. Transfer to the air-fryer basket and bake at 390-degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir after every 5 minutes. Alternatively, bake in a preheated 375-degree F oven for 30 minutes. 
4. Sauce: Combine the reserved marinade with the 6 tablespoons yogurt and season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Warm the tortillas.
5. Add potatoes to the tortilla, along with the seitan and a few slices of pickles. Roll up and serve with the sauce.


© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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bulgogi spring rolls

Although I have a more authentic (and still easy-to-make) recipe for Korean Bulgogi - which is barbecue that is served in lettuce leaves - in my cookbook Vegan Bowls [Amazon, B&N], I wanted to make a more portable version of this dish, so putting it into rice roll wrappers seemed to be the answer.

This version is simpler and less traditional, but still very delicious in its own right. I used my SteaK Setian recipe for this (found HERE), but you can also use portobello mushrooms or even tofu, if you like. The seitan is quite delicious, though, and isn't difficult to make at all.

The seitan is grilled to perfection after marinating in the sweet and salty mixture for a little while (or overnight) and is then chopped into strips.

The seitan is then rolled into rice spring roll wrappers along with rice noodles (I used udon noodles here), carrots, lettuce leaves, scallions and the ssamjang sauce, which is a spicy paste (here turned into a sauce) that usually accompanies Korean barbecue.

Although the recipe calls for doenjang (a fermented soybean paste) and gochujang (a spicy chili pepper paste), you can use dark miso (not white - it is too sweet) and sriracha as substitutes.

It is very important that you don't soak the rice paper for a long time; soak it only until it is pliable. It will soften up further as it sits with the moist ingredients rolled into it. A mistake folks often make is soaking it too long (please, ignore the package directions to soak for up to a minute) and then having the paper fall apart on them before they have a chance to roll it up. Remember: only until it is pliable.

Now, go forth and create your own masterpiece.

Bulgogi Spring Rolls 

Serves 4

Marinade:

2 tablespoons vegetable broth

1 1/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari

1 tablespoon date paste*** or sugar

1/2 medium apple, cored and chopped

2 medium garlic cloves

1/2 order Seitan SteaK or 4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed and gills scraped out

Sauce:

2 tablespoons hot water

1 tablespoons doenjang or dark miso

1 tablespoon date paste*** or sugar

1 to 2 teaspoons gochujang or sriracha

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds 

Rolls:

8 (9-inch) spring roll wrappers

8 small lettuce leaves

1 large carrot, julienned

3 scallions, minced

4 ounces dry rice noodles or udon, cooked and cooled under running water, reserve the hot water for the spring roll wrappers

1. Combine the broth, tamari, sweetener, apple and garlic in a small blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a shallow pan and add the seitan. Coat well and set aside to marinade, from 10 to 60 minutes. 

2. Heat a grill pan over medium heat for 4 minutes. Spray with oil and add the seitan. Cook, about 4 minutes per side, basting as needed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. When cool, cut into strips.

3. Make the sauce by combining the hot water, doenjang, sweetener, gochujang and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Mix well until everything is dissolved. 

4. Dip a spring roll wrapper into the hot water reserved from the pasta and soak for 5 to 10 seconds, depending on how hot the water is. Soak only until the wrapper is pliable. It will soften once you add the other moist ingredients. Add a lettuce leaf and spread with the sauce. Add some seitan, carrots, scallions, and noodles. Roll up like a burrito, from the back roll to halfway and then fold in the sides. Finally roll it all the way up.  Serve or store, covered, for later enjoyment. 

*** Date Paste: Pit 10 medjool dates. Add to a mason jar and fill with enough water to cover, about 1 cup. Soften overnight in the fridge. Blend until very smooth, including the soaking liquid.  

© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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arrabiata mostaccioli

The other day I came upon a picture of a non-vegan baked mostaccioli recipe, complete with ooey, gooey cheese. Wanting to make a kinder version of that was my impetus for this recipe. 

It is almost Pantry+ friendly, but not quite, but I was very pleased with the dish, in spite of that. It has 11 ingredients and does take a bit to make, going from stove to oven to bake, but it is well worth it. If you just want to make the sauce and not bake it, then you are still in for a treat.

It's actually pretty simple, cooking plenty of garlic and ground seitan (or mushrooms) in some olive oil, along with a good helping of chili flakes, oregano and basil. Adding the tomato products and letting the sauce reduce and thicken is the key to this quick sauce - ready after only 30 minutes. I was surprised at the depth after relatively such short time. I've heard of sauces that need to cook for hours.

Check out the color and textural difference! It is thick, rich, dark red and extremely flavorful.

Toss the sauce with the pasta and end it right there, taking it to the dinner table, garnished with fresh basil.

Or you can add it to an oven safe skillet, add plenty of melt-able vegan cheese ....

and bake it until bubbly and golden brown. Admittedly, I failed on the cheese part. I used a cashew-based cheese and if the cashew cheese has too much cashews in it, the cheese just simply will not melt because it has too much unmelt-able components - the cashews!

Nonetheless, we enjoyed the dish thoroughly! You, however, can learn from my mistake and bake this with a combination of Follow Your Heart Mozzarella (use the block that you shred at home) and Daiya. Together the two will melt incredibly well for you, just like on a pizza. Or, better, yet, use Somer's Moxarella cheese, which is already melted and only needs to be browned. Should have, would have, could have....didn't!

And if you haven't seen my new YouTube channel, check it out. And subscribe to get up to date new content.

Baked Arrabiata Mostaccioli

Makes 4 servings

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 to 4 cups ground seitan (or 1 pound ground mushrooms)

6 garlic cloves, sliced

1 to 2 teaspoons red chili flakes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 (6-ounce) jarred tomato paste (or 7-ounces of tomato concentrate)

2 (15-ounces) jarred diced tomatoes

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

Sugar, if needed

1 pound penne or mostaccioli

2 to 4 cups shredded vegan cheese (preferably a combination of meltable cheeses)

Fresh basil, for garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the seitan, garlic, chili flakes, oregano and basil. Cook, stirring often, until the seitan is golden brown. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 more minute, stirring to incorporate the paste. Add the diced tomatoes and salt. Stir well, bring to boil and reduce to medium-low. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened and reduced, about 30 minutes.

2. In the meantime, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain and reserve. Preheat the oven to 400-degrees F.

3. Taste and adjust seasoning of the sauce. Add salt and sugar as needed. Add the pasta and toss well to combine. Transfer to an oven-safe skillet and add the cheese. Bake in the pre-heated oven until the cheese is bubbly and golden, about 20 minutes. Once melted, broil the cheese for 5 minutes if it refuses to brown. Serve garnished with fresh basil. 

© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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veganmofo - autumn equinox + rosemary-garlic roasted seitan

Welcome Autumn (in the Northern Hemisphere and Welcome Spring in the Southern Hemisphere)!

Day 23 #vgnmf15 is a celebration of the Autumn/Spring Equinox.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Autumn Equinox is also the Pagan holiday of Mabon. The Autumn Equinox divides the day and the night equally and reminds us that subsequent days will get darker and darker as the daylight hours get shorter and shorter.

Mabon is a harvest festival at which time reflection, meditation, gratitude and celebration are held for the past year's accomplishments or successes.

Indeed, reflection of events that didn't quite pan out as one had hoped would, is still observed and meditated upon. After all, it is both our successes and endeavors that make us who we are; it is both of these that propel us forward and acknowledging both is important.

Sometimes we give things a "try" and not accomplish it, but without analysis of what went wrong, there is no way to correct the course and hope for success in the future.

Mabon is celebrated with seasonal offerings such as apples, pomegranates, cider, herbs and root vegetables, among the bounty of the season.

As we set up our alter with leaves, pine cones, apples and gardening tools, we light candles, burn incense, listen to music and reflect on the year's happenings, we also feast on rich foods that happen to be compassionate and non-violent.

We are celebrating (or would be, if I didn't need to take this photo a day before) Mabon and honoring The Green Man (God of the Forest) on this day with Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Seitan and Root Vegetables.

I made the seitan using the Simple Seitan Cutlets from Everyday Vegan Eats (Amazon, B&N) with a few modifications: I made it into a roast instead of cutlets by just forming the gluten into a roast form. I added 1 tablespoon of minced fresh rosemary and 4 minced garlic cloves to the gluten and tied it loosely with twine to keep the roast in more of a compact form while it cooked. I also added a sprig of rosemary to the cooking broth.

It was really delicious and once the seitan was cooked (the day before), prep time was about 5 minutes. Simple, hearty and satisfying.

If you haven't seen, I am hosting another giveaway for Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N)! Go enter HERE.

Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Seitan
Makes 4 to 5 servings

4 to 5 medium red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large carrot, chopped
1 whole bulb garlic, cloves peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
½ teaspoon sea salt
Ground black pepper

1 recipe seitan roast, made with fresh rosemary and garlic (see blog post for more information)

1. Preheat the oven to 425-degrees F. Combine the potatoes, carrots, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, salt and black pepper in a medium bowl. Toss well.
2. Place the seitan roast in the middle of baking sheet. Coat the seitan with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Arrange the potato mixture around the roast. Bake the roast and potatoes until the potatoes are tender, about 45 to 50 minutes, stirring the potatoes halfway through the baking. Baste the roast halfway through the baking, using any oil on the bottom of the baking sheet. 
3. Taste and adjust seasoning of the potatoes and serve. 


 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.