VEGAN SEITAN ROAST STUFFED WITH MACARONI

Happy new year! Theres nothing better than starting a new year. It always feels great to  shake off all the bad times and start fresh! I always make  a lot of goals when the year starts too. This year I'm really hoping to start writing my own cookbook and get really into my baked goods. Hopefully by this time next year you'll be able to buy something of mine in a local grocery store! Amongst all that I have a million plans for my boyfriend and I. Overall I'm really excited for 2015. 

So for Christmas I thought I'd go a little crazy and make something I never have before.  Its my own creation.

A combination of my pinto bean seitan roast and my coconut cream mac n cheese! (There's a link attached to the recipes) Unfortunately theres not going to be any point in making an entire recipe and step by step post for this because it's identical to those two recipes.  However I can post pictures and tips!! This roast was absolutely insane and by far my favourite christmas dinner ever. Its most definitely good for any day of the week! 

Enjoy!

You can follow the steps just like the ones in my other recipe. Just be careful not to over stuff your roast so you can wrap it up nice and tight. Cut the macaroni recipe in half in order to make the right amount.          

           Roll your seitan roast out. Scoop your macaroni on top about 3/4 of the seitan roast. Make sure you leave about 1 1/2 inches of just seitan on the side opposite to you. This is what you'll use to pinch it shut. Begin to roll the roast starting with the side closest to you. Roll it gently but tight making sure macaroni stays in. Roll in up in foil, twist the ends and bake! 

VEGAN SEITAN PINTO BEAN ROAST WITH STUFFING

It was thanksgiving the other day in Victoria BC. Which gives me an awesome opportunity to challenge myself. My boyfriend and I usually buy a little field roast quarter loaves for the two of us but since they have ceased shipping to Canada (article will explain) I decided to finally attempt to make my own stuffed roast. WHAT A SUCCESS IT WAS. IM SPEAKING IN CAPS BECAUSE I'M REALLY PROUD OF MYSELF. Making a roast vegan stylez is hard and this one I can confidently say you could feed your meat eatin' friends and they would love it. The stuffing really stepped it up a notch and made it seem like a real roast. 

This recipe also makes enough to invite friends over and have a big meal. I already took 8 large pieces off of it and I still have a quarter of the roast in my fridge. 

The stuffing was too good. It honestly tasted exactly like the kind I used to have back in my meat eating days. 

I used silver hills kings bread for the bread crumbs. If you want to turn your bread into bread crumbs just simply cut up your pieces into small cubes.  Around 1/2 inch in size. Preheat your oven to 400 F. Prepare a casserole dish with some olive oil and toss in your bread. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil over top. Spice with whatever you would like. I used garlic powder, pepper and salt. Stir them around well so the oil is spread evenly and bake for 7 minutes or until bread is crispy and brown. 

RECIPE

Vegan Stuffing

5-6 piece of bread cut into bread crumbs = 3 cups bread crumbs

4 stalks celery, chopped fine

1/4 white onion, chopped fine

3 cloves of garlic, minced

half a shallot, diced

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon chili spice

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 drops liquid smoke

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

4 tablespoons garbanzo bean flour

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

STEPS

In a frying pan on medium heat saute your onion, garlic, shallot and celery until soft. Around 10 minutes. Add your bread crumbs, spices, liquid smoke, vegetable broth, garbanzo bean flour and nutritional yeast. Turn to low-med heat and mix everything together really well. Your breadcrumbs should absorb a lot of your vegetable broth but not all of it so if its too dry add some more vegetable broth, 1 tablespoon at a time. Until everything is moist, not soggy. Fry until all your liquids are absorbed. Around 7-10 minutes. Once your stuffing is ready remove from heat and allow it to cool before stuffing your roast!

*This recipe is great for stuffing the roast but if you want to bake some stuff on the side heres the steps, 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Separate your dry ingredients of your stuffing mix into two even batches. One in a frying pan and one in a oiled casserole dish. Cut your liquid ingredients in half for each mix. Add vegetable broth, liquid smoke, garbanzo bean flour and nutritional yeast to your casserole dish. Stir together well and place in your oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until all liquids are absorbed. 

RECIPE

VEGAN ROAST

1 can pinto beans, drained, blended

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten

4 teaspoons poultry seasoning 

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 1/4 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

6 drops liquid smoke 

STEPS

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl combine all your dry ingredients and stir together well. Blend your pinto beans with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until smooth. *the bigger the beans are the harder it is to mix it into the gluten

Make a well in the middle of your gluten bowl and add your vegetable broth, soy sauce and liquid smoke.  Start to mix together well and pour your beans in, mixing while stirring. Knead with your hands for 5 minutes. This helps really blend your beans in with the mix. Once everything is mixed together well and your ball of goodness has formed prepare a place on the counter with a large piece of foil. (I used one that was 18' wide) Place your roast on the foil and begin to roll it out forming a rectangle. Roll it out well. If any pieces break its really easy to make it stick back together with your fingers by pinching it. It should be around a 1/4' to 1/2' thick. Any bigger and it won't roll well!  

Once your seitan is ready place a couple big spoonfuls of the stuffing on half of your roast. Make sure theres atleast an inch left on each side of the seitan. Flatten your stuffing down with the back of your spoon. Begin to roll from the side with the stuffing inward. Roll it slightly tight so you can make sure it sticks together but don't squish it. 

Once your roll is all together begin to pinch the open end with a fork. Pressing it into your roast. Make sure its completely blended together. Using your fingers to pinch any loose ends. 

Wrap your roast in foil and bake for 1 hour. 

CHOW MEIN WITH FRIED GINGER SEITAN

CHOW MEIN

with fried ginger seitan

This is one of my boyfriend favourite dinner recipes:) Its just chow mein but its legit! Super nutritious and easy to make. You can put tons of different kinds of vegetables. Its a fun meal to make. Heres a list of veggies that go great in chow meins: carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, bok choy, kale, onion, garlic, ginger, cabbage, tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers. The list goes on! Have fun experimenting with different veggies and serve it to your friends:) It's a great meal to make for having lots of people over because you can make so much for so cheap! Or free if you have an awesome garden;)

Its all about the sauces with this. I love these.

Here's a link to San-J 

Here's a link to Everland

When I'm making this recipe I love using hon's fried seitan. Its 100% vital wheat gluten so kind of like my sweet n sour balls but much more subtle for a chow mein recipe. Its also made in Vancouver. I love local!

RECIPE

4 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED

1 SMALL PIECE OF GINGER, DICED

HALF AN ONION, CHOPPED

HANDFUL OF OYSTER MUSHROOMS,CHOPPED

HALF A YELLOW PEPPER, SLICED

ONE HEAD OF BROCCOLI

4 CABBAGE LEAVES

HANDFUL OF BOK CHOY

1 PACKAGE WHEAT NOODLES

GINGER GARLIC SEITAN

1 PACKAGE OF HONS FRIED SEITAN

1 SMALL PIECE OF GINGER, DICED

2 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED

2 TEASPOONS CANOLA OIL

2 TABLESPOONS TERIYAKI

1 TABLESPOON SWEET N SOUR

STEPS

Cut up your garlic, ginger and onion. Get a frying pan ready with some canola oil. *or whatever you prefer to fry in  Put to medium heat. Saute those vegetables for 5 minutes. While those are frying being to cut all your other vegetables. This recipe works great if you leave all your vegetables fairly large after they are cut. Slice them into nice big pieces. Add the rest of your vegetables*i love using oyster mushrooms because it really adds to the flavour of the dish. They have a sort of fishy kinda taste so if you don't like that use crimini or pearl! Fry them with a bit of soya sauce for 10 minutes. Stir frequently.

Now that those are frying its time to get your seitan ready! Get a small frying pan ready on medium heat with some oil. Add your garlic and ginger first with a little bit of teriyaki sauce. Fry for 2 minutes. Then open your bag of seitan and add it to the pan. Pour more teriyaki and sweet and sour sauce on top and fry for 5 minutes. Flip, then fry for another fry minutes or until seitan is brown and crispy. Be careful not to overdone them though they are much better chewy. Make sure to be stirring them while you are frying as well.

Prepare a pot with water for making your noodles. Add water according to how much you'd like to make. Bring to a boil then add your noodles and reduce to low-med heat for 5-8 minutes. Stir the noodles while they boil.

Once your noodles are finished your veggies should be done and you can drain your noodles to serve! Add some soya sauce on the noodles for extra flavour. 

Enjoy healthy living!