Seitan

I hear you: I too have been burned by the lure of recipes that promise you can make your own staple products only to "make" nothing but a mess and disappointment. Some things are best left to the professionals; seitan is not necessarily one of them. If you know how to knead and how to get your hands on some wheat gluten, it's a relatively easy way to make a versatile, lean, vegan protein.

This will make about 4-6 main course-sized servings of seitan.

Ingredients:

     For the seitan:

     2 cups vital wheat gluten
     2 tbsp nutritional yeast
     1/4 tsp garlic powder
     ½ tsp smoked salt
     2 vegetable bouillon cubes in 1 ½ cups water
     2 tbsp soy sauce
     1 tsp cider vinegar

     For the liquid in which to cook it:

     Approximately 4 cups of water
     1 buillion cube or 1 tbsp onion powder with 1 tsp salt  
     2 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients and liquids separately; then add liquid mixture to dry mixture, mixing thoroughly.
Knead well for at least 5 minutes. Let rest for at least 15 minutes. These steps are important! Kneading well and allowing the seitan to rest so it can glutenize are what will give it a firm, meaty texture. Skip these steps or under-knead, and you will end up with a loose, mushy, sorry excuse for a gluten-based meat alternative. You have been warned.

Shape into a long rectangle (the seitan dough is not very cooperative; you will not get perfect shapes) and cut into desired pieces with a sharp knife. When cutting, keep in mind the seitan will increase in size by about 25-50% when cooking.

Bring cooking liquid to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add seitan pieces, bring to a boil, and then simmer until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool; reserve cooking liquid for storing.

Honestly I'm not sure how long the seitan keeps in the refrigerator because it's not lasted much more than a couple of days in our house.

As with all vegan cooking I'm a big proponent of working from traditional recipes and substituting vegan ingredients when necessary. (Seriously folks: the world of cooking is so much bigger that way.) Seitan tends to work in recipes that call for pork; beef and chicken recipes can work well too, depending on the recipe. Here are some of my favourite uses for seitan:

• Marinate with vegetables and grill on skewers. Because I'm from upstate New York the marinade of choice is spiedie sauce. You will not be disappointed.
• Make "wings:" Pan fry the seitan in oil til crispy on the outside; coat generously with a mixture of Frank's Red Hot and margarine (the true Buffalo way is a 1:1 ratio of Frank's to margarine, but I can rarely bring myself to use that much margarine and truthfully it doesn't make that much of a difference). Sprinkle with 1-2 tsp of flour and mix until the sauce sticks to the seitan. For true authenticity, serve with celery and carrot sticks that no one eats. Bonus points if you can find vegan bleu cheese and mix it with some mayo for a dipping sauce. Ranch is sacrilege.
• Simmer in mushroom broth and red wine for easy seitan bourguignon.

Cornbread

Vegan chili is pretty easy, but what really makes it is some awesome cornbread. Here's my recipe. (I have a friend from Memphis who would probably appreciate if I stipulated that this is yankee cornbread. And how!)

Ingredients

    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1 cup yellow cornmeal
    1/2 cup white sugar
    1 teaspoon salt
    3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    egg replacer for 1 egg
    1 cup soy milk
    1/3 cup vegetable oil
    1 cup frozen corn

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg replacer, soy milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Stir in frozen corn. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Serve with your favourite chili recipe. Or, have it in place of spaghetti under Cincy chili* (just don't tell anyone from Cincinnati).

*Once I manage to reduce my Cincinnati chili recipe to writing I'll post it here

Vegan Turtle Cheesecake

In my proud tradition of labour-intensive recipes, here is one that I've had in mind for awhile but only got around to doing this Thanksgiving. This involves ganache and caramel made from scratch, so it's not for beginners, but yes - it's worth it.

Crucial: make this the day before, or at least have 6 hours or so before you intend to serve it. It needs to chill!

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs

1/2 cup melted vegan margarine

For the cheesecake filling:

2 8 oz packages plain Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese

2 tbsp corn starch

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

6 tbsp Nutriwhip, Rich Whip or other non-dairy whipped topping (the kind in the carton that look like heavy cream - not all are vegan; read the label)

1 cup sugar

For the caramel:

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp vegan margarine

2 to 4 tbsp plain or vanilla soy milk

For the ganache:

1/2 package semisweet or dark chocolate chips (make sure they are vegan)

1/3 cup confectioner's sugar (a.k.a. icing sugar)

1/3 cup vegan margarine

For the topping:

1/2 cup pecan pieces (optional but delicious: toast them!)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Make the crust by combining the Oreo cookie crumbs and melted margarine in a bowl and mixing well. Press into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate with the back of a spoon; set aside.

Next,  to make the filling, combine all cheesecake filling ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend or process until smooth and evenly mixed - no lumps - scraping down sides as necessary.

Pour the cheesecake filling mixture into the prepared crust and bake at 325 F for 60 - 70 minutes until golden on top.

In the meantime, make the caramel sauce.* If you've never made caramel before, note that it can be tricky and very time-sensitive, so have your ingredients measured and ready to go beforehand. In a heavy-bottomed medium-sized (ex. 2 quart) saucepan, heat the sugar over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has melted and is a light golden colour. Add the margarine while stirring and continue to stir constantly until evenly combined. Add the vanilla, continuing to stir, until combined. Add the soy milk one tablespoon at a time, and keep stirring. It will bubble up very high when you add the soy milk (which is why you use a larger saucepan). Keep stirring! When caramel is desired consistency (it should be thick and goopy) remove from heat and pour into a bowl; set aside.

Next, the ganache: in a heavy bottomed saucepan or double boiler over low-medium heat, mix the confectioner's sugar and margarine until melted and well-combined. Stir in the the chocolate chips. Continue stirring until the chips have completely melted and the mixture is uniform. Note: do not  get water in the mixture or it will seize and become a grainy mess. 

When the cheesecake is done, remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack until it's not too hot to touch. Spread the ganache on top with a spatula or butter knife. This is easier if the ganache is still warm, but it's still a delicate operation to do without marring the surface of the cheesecake. Work it a little at a time.

Sprinkle the pecans on the ganache, and drizzle with the caramel sauce. (You will probably have some left over.) Refrigerate the cheesecake overnight or until thoroughly chilled. Yes, really. It will make the difference between an underwhelming lukewarm mess and awesome turtle-y goodness.

When thoroughly chilled, remove from the refrigerator and serve. Don't tell anyone you had cheesecake for breakfast. Or, do. I won't judge. It's good stuff.

*With thanks to user faylinameir over at vegweb for their excellent caramel recipe.

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Ridiculously involved. Totally worth it.​

This recipe makes 6 rolls, but doubles easily. (I recommend doubling it.)​

Ingredients:​

Dough:​

• 1/4 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp margarine, softened
• egg replacer for 2 eggs, prepared
  
• 1 package dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (lukewarm)
• 2 1/2 cups flour (I used a mix of spelt and white)

Filling:

• 1/4 c margarine
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces

Directions:

Mix the soy milk, sugar, salt, and margarine in a saucepan and stir over low heat until margarine  is melted and everything is well-mixed. Remove from heat and mix in a large bowl with the egg replacer; let cool til lukewarm.

While the soy milk mixture is cooling, stir the yeast into the warm water and let it stand for 5 minutes to dissolve. Add the dissolved yeast to the soy milk mixture. Beat until well mixed, then add 1 1/2 cups of the flour, beating well, until the dough is smooth and uniform. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Add the remaining cup of flour and blend in well, adding more flour if necessary to make the dough firm enough to handle.  Knead until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until almost double in size.

Punch the dough down, shape into rolls (see below) and let rise, covered, in a warm place for about 1 hour. 

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Bake rolls for 15-18 minutes. Top with icing if desired (see below). Hide leftovers from family.

To shape into rolls: roll out the dough on a floured surface until approximately 3/4" thick and a  long rectangle shape (about 16" long or so; if you double the recipe your rectangle will be  bigger). Spread the filling on the dough and roll up the dough jelly roll style. Cut into slices about 1 1/2" thick (pro tip: slice with unflavoured dental floss) and place on a well-greased baking sheet.

For icing: Use a ratio of 2 or 3 to 1, confectioner's sugar to margarine. Mix until uniform, then add plain or vanilla soy milk a teaspoon at a time and mix until you've got a thick paste. Spread or squeeze onto warm rolls; the heat from the rolls will melt the icing. If desired, mix in about 1/2 tsp vanilla to the icing before spreading on rolls. For a cream cheese-y taste, add about 1/4 tsp cider vinegar.​

Vegan Chicken Salad

​Chicken and tofu both have a neutral flavour; the tofu fits seamlessly into this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 block extra-firm tofu, crumbled
• 1 apple, diced
• 1/2 c sliced almonds
• 2 tbsp diced red onion
• 1/3 c vegenaise
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix thoroughly until well combined. Adjust seasonings to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've made a lot of chocolate chip cookies in my day. These are the best. ​

Ingredients:

• 3/8 c margarine (I prefer Earth Balance)
  
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• egg replacer for 1 egg, prepared according to package directions
  
• 1 1/2-2 tbsp water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 7/8 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks
  

Directions:

In a medium bowl, cream together the earth balance, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg replacer, water and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture, until dough holds together. Add more water, 1 tbsp at a time, if dough is too dry. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate until chilled through, at least one hour. (You can skip this step, but chilling the dough is what makes the cookies soft and chewy.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1 1/2 to 2” balls and space 2-3 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. 

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until just golden around the edges. The cookies will still be soft in the center. Cool on baking sheets for 5-7 minutes, then transfer to cool on wire racks.