Thursday Recipes

Enjoy!

HOLIDAY SEITAN ROAST

This is from the November 2014 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 69, and begins, “Thinly slice the seitan when serving so that each bite gets coated in sauce.” Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 recipe homemade seitan (recipe follows) or 1 lb. seitan, divided into 2 pieces

2 Tbs. olive oil, divided

1 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

2 tsp. tamari or soy sauce

1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1/4 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

8 oz. baby carrots (1 1/4 cups)

3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)

1 large parsnip, chopped (4 oz.)

12 oz. small purple potatoes, halved

2 cups pearl onions, peeled and halved if large

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine salt, pepper, and paprika in small bowl. Rub over seitan pieces.

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add seitan, and brown 6 minutes, turning to cook all sides. Remove seitan from pan, and set aside.

Add remaining 1 Tbs. oil to pan, sprinkle with flour, and reduce heat to medium. Cook 3 minutes, or until smooth roux forms. Add wine, then tomato paste, broth, tamari, thyme, and rosemary; cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken.

Transfer seitan to roasting pan. Surround with carrots, celery, parsnip, potatoes, and onions. Pour sauce over top. Cover with foil, and roast 35 to 45 minutes. Remove foil, and roast 10 to 15 minutes more. Thinly slice seitan, and serve with vegetables and sauce.

nutritional information Per Serving: Calories: 287; Protein: 27 g; Total Fat: 4 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 35 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 541 mg; Fiber: 6 g; Sugar: 6 g; Vegan

HOMEMADE SEITAN

Also from the November 2014 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 69. It begins, “Seitan is essentially a dough made with vital wheat gluten, a high-protein wheat flour, and liquid. The dough can be rinsed or poached to become a chewy meat substitute that can be added to many different dishes. We've added light seasonings to this recipe so that it will work in any dish, but feel free to play around with flavors and shapes. This tried-and-true favorite can be used in any recipe calling for seitan.” Makes 1 pound.

To view this online, go to http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/homemade-seitan/

2 cups vital wheat gluten

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 tsp. garlic powder

5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided

2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

Combine wheat gluten, yeast, and garlic powder in large bowl. Stir in 1 cup broth and soy sauce until dough forms, adding more broth if necessary. Knead dough in bowl with spoon 3 minutes, or until elastic. Shape into 2 loaves.

Place loaves in large saucepan, and add remaining 4 cups broth, onion, garlic, and enough water to cover seitan. Cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 to 45 minutes, or until seitan is firm. Remove from heat, and cool in broth.

nutritional information Per Per 2-oz. Serving: Calories: 176; Protein: 25 g; Total Fat: lees than 1 g; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Carbohydrates: 17 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 167 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: less than 1 g; Vegan

THANKSGIVING POT PIE

This is from the November 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “Working toward her master's in social work, Adrianne Dickson, who won first place in VT's 2009 Reader Recipe Contest for this recipe, still finds time to read cookbooks for fun. 'I first developed this recipe while living in Montana after my boyfriend told me he loved pot pie,' she explains. 'I started making the crust in a bag when we were working as raft guides and didn't have any place to roll out a crust.'" Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

Filling

2 medium potatoes, diced (2 cups)

2 large carrots, sliced (1 cup)

3 Tbs. olive oil, divided

1 16-oz. pkg. firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. San-J Tamari Soy Sauce, divided

1/2 tsp. granulated garlic, divided

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, divided

2 cups sliced button mushrooms

1 large onion, diced (2 cups)

1 cup chopped broccoli florets

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1/2 cup plain soymilk

3 Tbs. red wine

1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage

1 tsp. hoisin sauce

1/2 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce

Crust

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp. chopped fresh sage

To make Filling:

Cook potatoes and carrots in large pot of boiling salted water 10 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu, and cook 5 minutes, or until tofu begins to brown. Stir in 2 Tbs. tamari, 1/4 tsp. granulated garlic, and 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, and cook until all liquid has evaporated.

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add mushrooms, and cook 2 minutes. Add onion, broccoli, and garlic, and sauté 6 to 7 minutes, or until onions begin to soften.

Push veggies to side of Dutch oven. Add remaining 1 Tbs. oil to bottom of pot. Stir flour into oil with fork to make roux; stir until smooth. Stir roux into vegetables.

Stir broth into vegetables. Once gravy is smooth, add tofu, potatoes, carrots, soymilk, remaining 1/4 cup tamari, and wine. Stir gently, then add thyme, sage, hoisin sauce, Worcestershire sauce, remaining 1/4 tsp. granulated garlic, and remaining 1/8 tsp. cayenne. Remove from heat, and set aside, or transfer vegetables to large casserole dish.

To make Crust:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix together flour, salt, and shortening with fork or pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in up to 4 Tbs. cold water, if necessary, for dough to stick together. Gently knead rosemary and sage into dough, and shape dough into ball. Place dough ball in plastic bag, and push out from center of ball to shape dough to size of Dutch oven or casserole dish. Remove dough from bag, and lay over vegetable filling in Dutch oven or casserole dish. Poke holes in dough to allow steam to escape. Bake 45 minutes, or until Crust is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

nutritional information Per Slice: Calories: 394; Protein: 12 g; Total Fat: 22 g; Saturated Fat: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 36 g; Cholesterol: less than 1 mg; Sodium: 978 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 5 g; Vegan

EASY CRANBERRY SAUCE

This comes from One Green Planet/s newsletter. The recipe states, “My Easy Cranberry Sauce is not very sweet. It has a tangy tartness and makes a beautiful side dish for your holiday table.”

To view this and other cranberry recipes, click here.

12 oz. Bag of fresh or frozen cranberries, with 1/2 cup set aside

1 cup sugar

zest of 1 orange

2 Tbs. Water or orange juice

Set aside 1/ 2 cup cranberries in a bowl. Put the rest of the cranberries into a saucepan. Add sugar, orange zest and water or orange juice and cook over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and cranberries soften, about 10 minutes. Raise the heat to medium high and cook until cranberries burst, about another 10 minutes. Reduce heat back to low and add in the cranberries you set aside. Add more sugar if you want, and salt and pepper to taste. Let cool (you can refrigerate it if you like your cranberry sauce cold) before serving.

ULTIMATE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

This is from page 53 of the November 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times. It starts out, “The Native American “three sisters”—corn, beans, and squash—come together in these individual holiday entrées stuffed with corn pudding and black beans.” Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

3 Tbs. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.), divided

4 acorn squash, halved and seeded

1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder, plus more for sprinkling squash

1/2 tsp. ground coriander, plus more for sprinkling squash

3 cups fresh or frozen organic corn kernels, divided

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

4 Tbs. melted butter or olive oil

3 oz. soft goat cheese or low-fat cream cheese (1/3 cup)

3 oz. grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (3/4 cup), plus more for sprinkling tops, optional

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 large poblano chile or 1 small red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

8 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced (1 cup), plus more for sprinkling tops

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine oil and 2 tsp. minced garlic in small bowl. Brush squash halves with garlic oil, and sprinkle lightly with ancho chile powder and coriander. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and place on large baking sheet.

Pulse 2 cups corn kernels in food processor until finely chopped and milky. Set aside.

Whisk 1/2 tsp. each coriander and ancho chile powder into cornmeal, along with sugar, baking soda, salt, and cayenne (if using) in medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together buttermilk and eggs in separate bowl. Whisk in butter, then puréed corn, remaining 1 cup corn kernels, goat cheese, Cheddar, and remaining 2 tsp. garlic. Fold in cornmeal mixture with spatula, then fold in black beans, poblano chile, and green onions.

Divide filling among squash halves. Sprinkle each squash with extra Cheddar (if using).

Bake squash halves 30 to 45 minutes, or until squash are tender and filling is set. Sprinkle with green onions. Squash can be prepared 24 hours ahead, then reheated 20 minutes at 325°F.

nutritional information Per Stuffed squash half: Calories: 425; Protein: 15 g; Total Fat: 20 g; Saturated Fat: 10 g; Carbohydrates: 53 g; Cholesterol: 80 mg; Sodium: 533 mg; Fiber: 8 g; Sugar: 6 g; Gluten-Free

SPICE TEA

This comes from my e-cookbook, titled Off the Wall Cooking, found on Amazon.com. I used to make this every year for Christmas presents. Nice-tasting, and everyone seemed to enjoy getting this.

8 oz loose tea

1 1/2 – 2 sticks cinnamon

3 orange peels

2 T chopped cloves

Cut orange peels into small pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring occaionally. Let cool, add to loose tea, along with broken cinnamon sticks & cloves. Store in tight containers.