VEGAN “CHICKEN” & Broccoli CASSEROLE recipe

VEGAN “Chicken” & Broccoli CASSEROLE
Serves 4

2 lbs. fresh broccoli crowns, cut into spears
2 cups of “cheeze” melted and mixed with veggie broth – please ask me if you have questions.. (or if not vegan, any cheese sauce)

3-4 cups strips of any vegan “chicken” or “turkey” substitute, soaked in a HOT “chickeny” broth
6 cloves garlic, chopped

fresh cut herbs
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups or so of cooked alphabet pasta – FUN for the KIDS!
1 T. lemon juice-  add to the cheese mix
2 cups bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spread the chopped broccoli in the bottom of 1/9 x 13″ baking pan. Cover that with the “chicken” sub and pasta. Sprinkle with salt and grind pepper, garlic, onion salt.. any other spices that you like over that to taste add fresh cut herbs to the mix.

Spread the vegan “cheese” over the top

Sprinkle evenly with the breadcrumbs and then spread and push down so some of the breadcrumbs are in the “cheese”.

Bake for 20 minutes and serve hot.

Homemade Wonton Soup

Ingredients:

- wonton wrappers

- TVP (soaked and marinated) crumble, sprinkled with Nutritional yeast – I added a bit of garlic salt and pepper

- sauteed mushrooms, chopped

- fresh cut herds, chopped

(mixed these three together: TVP, mushrooms, herbs)

- carrots, pealed ribbons

- mushrooms sliced thinly

- green onion, sliced

- garlic, sliced

- vegetable brother (I made my mine with clippings of other veggies and lighting heating in water – and then draining to veggies (compost) – use broth)

- bragg’s amino acids (add to broth)

- olive oil

- a bit of water – (sealing wonton wraps together)

Directions:

I use a wok, but a soup pot will do fine. I first add the veggie broth and some water.. then bragg’s…. once it’s hot.. get’n to a boil.. I add veggies.. (all.. onion, mushrooms, carrots… so on).. but not the wontons,

then add the wontons, when boil begins.. once added, lower heat to low… cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. DO NOT OVER HEAT! (the wontons will break)

Enjoy!

“Chicken” Salad

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• Vegetable broth or water (squirt of Bragg’s Amino Acids)
• Celery stalk – shredded
• carrot – peeled and chopped
• fresh parsley – chopped
• fresh marjoram – chopped
• 1/4 cup Veganaise
• 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1-2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil vegetable broth, squirt in the Bragg Amino Acids. Once boiling, add TVP and mix.. turn off flame and let the TVP soak up the broth.  Wait until the TVP cools – you can place in the fridge if you like. Once cool…

Place all ingredients together.. mix. and cool.

Enjoy.

 

 

Teriyaki Glazed Seitan with Green Garlic Veggies and Rice Recipe

Picnic Style….

Our nights are becoming just perfect for our outside dinners. Quite casual and laid back.

Yesterday, I made some home made Seitan and today I cooked up a few pieces of it and glazed it with some ingredients I had laying around the kitchen.

ingredients:

• seitan cutlets cut into little bite-sizes pieces
• olive oil

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce – vegan
• 1/4 cup Braggs or a soy sauce of some sort
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup garlic seasoned rice vinegar or regular

• Rice – I used brown

Veggies:

• garlic – pressed or minced
• vegan butter
• broccoli – all veggie bite-sized
• green beans
• mushrooms
• zucchini
• salt and pepper

• Then, a salad of whatever you want

Directions:

Sauce: Mix all the sauce ingredients together over the stove and simmer for 20 minutes… do not burn… as the liquid cools, it’ll thicken (glaze)

Seitan: Heat oil in pan, and sear both sides until browned. Once sauce is ready, add the seitan…only cover slightly…glaze.

Rice: directions on package or quick search on the internet

Veggies: heat butter and garlic in pan for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add Veggies, mix. Add a bit of water (veggie broth..liquid) and cover. This takes about 5 minutes.

Put it all together how you want and enjoy!!!

Fast and Easy Homemade Seitan – Vegan Meat Alternative

There are many reasons why I like making my own seitan, but most of all becuase I can make it for pennies… where I would spend up to $5.00 in the health food store, which is not always easy to get to with two little sprouts (my two sons) running around.

I just put on my cute new apron from Etsy

http://www.etsy.com/shop/georgiamarbles

and start gathering the ingredients and before you know it, seitan is made, dinner is prepared and husband and kids are happy!

Here is what you need:

Gluten Dough:

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 Nutritional Yeast
• 1 teaspoon fresh garlic – pressed or grated
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger – *Note: I like to freeze my ginger and then grate when ready to use
• 1 1/4 cups  vegetable broth – Note* – I make my own by keeping left over steamed veggie water and such….many ways to make your own veggie stock.
• 3 Tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil
• salt and ground pepper
• 5 cups of veggie broth separate then the one above

Broth: *I used my own homemade veggie stock but here is an example of a broth you can use

• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium tamari or shoyu, soy sauce
• 3-inch piece of kombu (a seaweed)*
• 4 slices of ginger

Directions -dough:

Combine all dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Combine all liquids and add to the dry mixture; mix with a fork until the dough reaches a knead-able consistency. Knead for a few minutes, maybe 10. Let sit for 5 min.

Wet hands (to prevent gluten from sticking) and knead another several minutes, then let the dough rest another 10 minutes. While waiting, prepare broth.

Wet hands and a knife; cut gluten into 6-8 pieces and pull into thin strips. Simmer in broth for 45-60 minutes.

Broth:

Combine all ingredients in a large pot with a lid. Bring broth to a boil, add gluten dough pieces, reduce to a simmer and cover. Check occasionally and add more water if needed. Done after an hour or so. now, if you have never used seitan before.. you still need to cook this… like you would any kind of meat.. pretty easy to grill, fry, coat with bread crumbs, bake….so many options.

Please enjoy… a meat free diet

Hearty ‘Beef’ Casserole

Ingredients:

• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 1 Tbsp. dried thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp. marjoram
• 1 tsp. fresh rosemary
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 cup peeled and sliced carrots
• 1 cup cubed red potatoes
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup cubed seitan
• 2 Tbsp. molasses
• 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
• 1 15-oz. can navy beans, (soaked over night, cooked and drained)
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs mixed with 3 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot, saute the garlic, onions, thyme, bay leaves, marjoram, and rosemary in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add the wine, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the seitan, molasses, mustard, beans, salt and pepper. Heat through. Transfer the mixture to 6 15-oz. oiled casserole dishes. Top with the bread crumbs, cover, and bake for about 45 minutes. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Quick Homemade Gluten – Seitan Healthy “Meat Alternative”

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1-1/4 cups vegetable stock
• 3 Tablespoons lite tamari, Braggs liquid amino acids, or soy sauce
• 1-3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Directions:

Add garlic powder and ginger to flour and stir. Mix liquids together and add to flour mixture all at once. Mix vigorously with a fork. When it forms a stiff dough knead it 10 to 15 times.

Let the dough rest 2 to 5 minutes, then knead it a few more times. Let it rest another 15 minutes before proceeding.

Cut gluten into 6 to 8 pieces and stretch into thin cutlets. Simmer in broth for 30 to 60 minutes.

Broth:

• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
• 3-4 minced ginger

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring broth to a boil. Add cutlets one at a time. Reduce heat to barely simmer when saucepan is covered. Seitan may be used, refrigerated, or frozen at this point.

“Chicken” Fried Seitan, Mushroom – Celery Gravy, Fried Onions & Mash Potatoes Recipe

Vegan “Chicken” Fried Seitan with Mushroom – Celery Gravy

Mash Potatoes and Fried Onions

Ingredients:

• Seitan Patties/Steaks – I made my own Seitan, and then cut into patties instead of ‘meat’ chucks
• oil for frying

Breading:

• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• dash of salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• flour (enough to coat all the steaks)

Gravy:

• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
• 1 stack of celery, sliced and diced
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1-1/2 cups soy milk
• 1 tablespoon vegan margarine
• pinch of thyme
• salt and pepper

Fried Onions:

• 2 Medium Onions, sliced thinly
• 2 Cups soy milk
• All-Purpose Flour
• Oil for frying
• Salt

Vegetable:

• Green Beans, cut ends off and wash clean
• pot of water with a dash of salt added

Mash Potatoes:

• 4 red potatoes, cubed
• pot of water for boiling, with dash of salt
• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
• 1/2 cup of soy milk

Directions:

First Fried Onions:
Cut the ends off the onions, peel them, and slice them in half lengthwise. Slice them thinly into half-moons. Try to keep your slices all the same width so that the onions cook evenly.

Soak the onions in 2 cups soy milk for at least 10 minutes.

Heat oil over medium heat in a wok or other pot to a depth of 1-2 inches.

Grab a handful of onions from the soy milk, shake them off a little, and place them in a bowl. Coat with flour completely, tossing with two forks to keep your hands clean. Use enough flour so that they’re not soggy.

Test the oil by putting one onion in, if it bubbles up, it’s ready. Guard against the oil being too hot – it should take 7-9 minutes before the onions start to turn golden brown!

Fry for 7-9 minutes a batch, turning occasionally, until the onions are very crispy and caramelized. The onions themselves should be a very rich golden brown, beautifully caramelized, and the breading a light golden brown. Drain on a paper towel or cloth, and sprinkle with salt to season.

If making ahead, store in an airtight container until ready for use.

Prepare Seitan Steaks..

In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, basil, and oregano.  Add salt and pepper if you wish.  Then, pour soymilk into a second bowl, and place flour into a third bowl.  I like to have these set up right next to each other, to make breading simple.

One at a time, coat each steak with flour, then dip the steak in the soymilk, then coat it with the breadcrumb mixture.  Repeat until all steaks are breaded.

Pan fry the breaded steaks in vegetable oil over medium heat until brown and crispy.  Place the fried steaks onto a plate covered with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.  Reserve the frying oil when you are finished to make the gravy.

Gravy:

After frying all the steaks, add onion to the pan, and fry in remaining oil over medium heat until soft (you may want to add a little more oil if there is not enough left).  Add 3 tablespoons flour and stir until mixed.  Slowly add the 1-1/2 cups soy milk and 1-2 tablespoons vegan margarine to the pan, stir well.  Cook and stir until gravy bubbles and thickens.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mash Potatoes:

Placed cubed potatoes into a pot of water, covering the potatoes about an inch. Boil until potatoes are softened.

Strain potatoes and place in a bowl with vegan margarine and soy milk. Mix until smooth and keep covered until ready to serve.

Green Beans:

Blanch beans in salty boiling water for two minutes.

Put all together and serve.

ENJOY!!!

Homemade Seitan (Meat Alternative) Wheat Gluten – Recipe –

Homemade Seitan – Wheat Gluten

prep time: 15 minutes / Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours – 2 hours / makes about 4-5 cups

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1 cup cold vegetable broth
1/2 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Simmering Broth
10 cups water or vegetable broth

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together Vital Wheat Gluten Flour and nutritional yeast flakes.

In a separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients: vegetable broth, Bragg’s, tomato paste, garlic, lemon zest.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine with a wooden spoon, knead dough for about 3 minutes until a spongy, elastic dough is formed.

Let dough rest for a couple of minutes and prepare your broth, but don’t start boiling it.

Now roll your dough into a log shape about 8 inches long and cut into 3 equal sized pieces. Place the pieces in the broth. It is important that the water/broth be very cold when you add the dough, it helps with the texture and ensures that it doesn’t fall apart. Partially cover the pot (leave a little space for steam to escape) and bring to a boil.

When the water has come to a boil set the heat to low and gently simmer for an hour, turning the pieces every now and again.

Now you’ve got gluten. Let it cool in the simmering broth for at least a half an hour. It is best if it cools completely.

What you do next depends on the recipe you are using. If it calls for gluten use it as is. If you want to store some of it for later use put it in a re-sealable container covered in the simmering broth.

If your recipe calls for seitan cut your pieces up as desired. I prefer to use a cast iron skillet for the frying because it produces the best flavor and texture. Use as little oil as possible to coat the bottom of the skillet, 1 teaspoon may suffice. Heat the skillet over medium high and add your gluten. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally. And there you have it. Yummy Seitan. Enjoy!