Country Fried Steak with Gravy

As I mentioned in my review of Chicago Health Foods store, I go there somewhat frequently. Worthington brand vegetarian foods is kind of a retro company... it's been around for decades and is owned by Loma Linda Foods. A lot of their products are not vegan and you usually just don't see them in stores. Chicago Health Foods store carries a few of their canned items and several frozen items. The multigrain cutlets are vegan, so I thought I would check it out. First, these are basically seitan steaks in a can. Second, canned seitan? Yeah... I mean, I guess it could be worse! So, I thought the best way to tackle canned seitan would be by making a country fried steak and breading it. I will also be posting a recipe for beefless beef stroganoff that I made with these multi-grain cutlets too. Now, I have to say, as far as canned seitan goes, this is really good! It was awesome in both dishes I made (I used half a can per dish). So, breaded or non-breaded, I enjoyed it. I imagine it would be really good breaded sort of like katsu or pork tenderloin and put in a sandwich too. Oh, and despite in the picture on the can the cutlet is breaded, it is not. It is seitan steaks in juice. Just FYI.

As a note, I'm not sure what you could use to replace these Worthington cutlets. I'm not aware of anything quite like them that isn't something like a Gardein chick'n patty. All seitan products I know of are crumbles and pieces, not cutlets. You could do this if you make your own seitan, though! Here is my recipe of cutlet-style seitan.

Country Fried Steak with Gravy 

* Prep Time: 1 hour
* Cook Time: 20 minutes
* Ingredients (for country fried steak):

• 1/2 can (4) multigrain cutlets, drained
• 1 cup non-dairy milk*
• 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
• 1-2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-2 tsp paprika
• 1-2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 egg replacers, follow box directions*
• peanut oil, for frying*

* Ingredients (for gravy):

• 2 tbsp peanut oil, from frying cutlets
• 2-3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp soy butter*
• 3/4th cup non-dairy milk
• salt and pepper, to taste 

* Recipe (for country fried steak):

1. Prepare butter milk by combining the milk with vinegar. Let stand in the refrigerator for 5 minutes. Soak the cutlets in the butter milk for a minimum of an hour, the longer the better. 
2. Using 2 bowls, add half of the flour and spices to each. In a third bowl, mix the eggs according to box directions. Set up bowls in a line: flour, eggs, flour.  
3. Add enough oil to a frying pan to come up half an inch and bring to medium to high heat.  
4. Once oil is hot, place cutlet in first flour bowl and coat completely, shaking off excess. Then place it in the egg bowl, again coating completely and shaking excess. Place in final flour bowl, once coated, shake excess and place in oil. Repeat for each cutlet. If the egg mixture seems too thick, add a little extra water to thin it out. 
5. Cook until each cutlet is golden brown. Place on a wire rack with a paper underneath it to catch excess oil (or place on plate with paper towels to drain oil). 
6. Reserve about 2 tbsp of oil for gravy, keeping the dripping from the dredge. 

* Recipe (for gravy): 

1. In the frying pan you used to make the country fried steak, add the flour to reserved oil from frying and whisk together until slightly thick. It should be a pudding consistency. If it is too thin, add more flour a teaspoon at a time until thick.  
2. Add butter and allow to melt.  
3. Whisk in milk. Add salt and pepper. Reduce heat and allow to thicken. If too thick, add more milk, constantly whisking until the gravy is slightly thinner than desired. Do this because it will thicken as it cools. 
4. Pour over mashed potatoes and country fried steaks. Serve with greens.

* Note: For non-dairy milk, I used almond milk. Feel free to use whatever kind you wish. For egg replacer, I used Enger-G. Peanut oil has a high heat capacity and it is really great for frying things. If you have a nut allergy, you could still use regular vegetable oil. For soy butter, I used Earth Balance with olive oil.

For sides to this recipe, I made mashed potatoes and greens. I have recipes for these on Vegan Miss: mashed potatoes & greens.

Monte Cristo Sandwich

I've never had a "real" Monte Cristo Sandwich but I've had them many times at the Chicago Diner. This is my ode to the sandwich! Also, the vegan turkey meat recipe is the same I posted recently for the California Reuben Sandwich.

Monte Cristo Sandwich

* Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

* Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours

* Ingredients (for vegan turkey meat):

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 cup vegetarian "chicken" broth*
• 1/2 (14 oz.) firm tofu package
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp agave nectar*
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp mesquite liquid smoke*

*  Ingredients (for sandwich):

• 2 tbsp vegan butter*
• 4 tbsp corn starch
• 1 cup non-dairy milk*
• 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
• pinch salt
• 4 pieces sourdough bread
• 1 tbsp olive oil, optional
• 1/2 package (5.5 oz.) vegan ham slices*
• 2 slices vegan muenster cheese, per sandwich*
• several slices vegan turkey meat, per sandwich 
  
• Dijon mustard, to taste
• vegan mayonnaise, to taste*
• powdered sugar, to top, to taste

* Recipe (for vegan turkey meat):

1. In a large bowl, add the vital wheat gluten.
2. In a food processor, add all the wet ingredients and nutritional yeast including the tofu and spices.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the wheat gluten. Mix well with a spoon then kneed with hands. 
4. Roll into a log that is 2.5 - 3 in. wide. Loosely roll foil around the seitan log and twist both ends like a tootsie roll.
5. Place in a pot with several inches of water. Have something holding it from the bottom so it is not touching the water (ex: a deep cookie cutter).
6. Steam for 1 hour.
7. When done steaming, take out of pot, allow to cool. When cool, slice thinly like deli meat.

* Recipe (for sandwich):

1. Melt butter in a large skillet. In a bowl, combine the corn starch, milk, flour, and salt. Mix until lumps are gone.
2. In a small baking pan, pour the french toast batter. Coat each side of the toast and fry in the pan until golden on each side. Once one side is fried, flip and fry the other side with the muenster cheese on top. Cover with lid to melt.
3. Fry the ham slices and several slices of turkey meat until slightly crispy. Add olive oil to the pan if the butter from the french toast runs out.
4. In a small bowl, combine equal parts mustard and mayonnaise.
5. Spread over one piece of french toast, pile on the ham and turkey, and top with the cheesy french toast. Cut in half. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with hash browns or breakfast potatoes.

* Notes: For vegetarian "chicken" broth, I used Frontier brand I got at my local health food store in bulk. Agave nectar is a honey replacement. You can find it in the organic section of your grocery store usually or with the honey. Liquid smoke gives a "meaty" smoky flavor to foods. I use it often in southern greens recipes to replace a bacon feel. For vegan butter, I used Earth Balance. I used soy milk for non-dairy milk but feel free to use whatever you please. For ham, I like Lightlife Smart Deli Ham. Chicago has a great cashew cheese company called Ste Martaen that has a muenster cheese. If you can't find it, use some other kind of white cheese whether is be Daiya or Follow Your Heart. Lastly, for vegan mayonnaise I used Earth Balance with olive oil.

California Reuben Sandwich

The California Reuben sandwich is similar to a traditional Reuben, but instead it usually uses turkey meat and coleslaw rather than corned beef and sauerkraut.

California Reuben Sandwich

* Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
* Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
* Ingredients (for vegan turkey meat):

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 cup vegetarian "chicken" broth*
• 1/2 (14 oz.) firm tofu package
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp agave nectar*
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp mesquite liquid smoke*

* Ingredients (for sandwich):

• 2 cups pre-made coleslaw bag (cabbage, carrots, etc.)
• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise*
• 1 tbsp vegan sour cream*
• 1 tbsp sugar*
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp dried mustard
• 1 tsp celery salt
• pepper, to taste
• Russian dressing, to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• several slices vegan turkey meat, per sandwich
• several slices vegan muenster cheese, per sandwich*
• several slices sourdough bread

* Recipe (for vegan turkey meat):

1. In a large bowl, add the vital wheat gluten.
2. In a food processor, add all the wet ingredients and nutritional yeast including the tofu and spices.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the wheat gluten. Mix well with a spoon then kneed with hands. 
4. Roll into a log that is 2.5 - 3 in. wide. Loosely roll foil around the seitan log and twist both ends like a tootsie roll.
5. Place in a pot with several inches of water. Have something holding it from the bottom so it is not touching the water (ex: a deep cookie cutter).
6. Steam for 1 hour.
7. When done steaming, take out of pot, allow to cool. When cool, slice thinly like deli meat.

* Recipe (for sandwich):

1. To make coleslaw, combine the coleslaw veggie bag, mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, white vinegar, dried mustard, celery salt, and pepper. Set aside.
2. Toast one side of the bread in skillet and then flip. Add the cheese and cover with lid to melt.
3. Slice vegan turkey and fry slightly in olive oil.
4. To build, spread the Russian dressing on one slice of toasted bread and top with coleslaw. Add fried turkey slices and the other piece of toasted bread with cheese. Cut in half. Serve with fries or chips.

* Note: For vegetarian "chicken" broth, I used Frontier brand I got at my local health food store in bulk. Agave nectar is a honey replacement. You can find it in the organic section of your grocery store usually or with the honey. Liquid smoke gives a "meaty" smoky flavor to foods. I use it often in southern greens recipes to replace a bacon feel. For vegan mayonnaise I used Earth Balance with olive oil. The sour cream brand I used was Tofutti. Make sure your sugar is vegan! Chicago has a great cashew cheese company called Ste Martaen that has a muenster cheese. If you can't find it, use some other kind of white cheese whether it be Daiya or Follow Your Heart.

Southwestern Skillet

I've never actually had a traditional Southwestern skillet before, vegan or otherwise. I'm not a huge fan of spicy foods, Tex-Mex-style food, and I never ate eggs prior to being vegan. My friends wanted to try and make this for a brunch, so behold the Southwestern Skillet.

Southwestern Skillet

* Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes
* Ingredients (for potatoes):

• 5-6 red potatoes, cleaned and cubed
• 1/2 medium red pepper, diced
• 1/2 medium green pepper, diced
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp parley
• salt & pepper, to taste
• olive oil, to coat entire bottom of skillet

* Ingredients (for scramble):

• 1 package (16 oz.) firm tofu, water pressed out
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp tumeric
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup vegan cheddar cheese, shredded*
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 medium tomato, diced

* Ingredients (for sausage):

• 1 box (8 oz.) vegan sausage crumbles*
• 1 tbsp olive oil

* Recipe (for potatoes):

1. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add onion, garlic, and peppers, and sautee for 1 minute.
2. Add potatoes and seasonings. Cook until brown and tender.

* Recipe (for scramble):

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Sautee onions until soft.
2. Add garlic, crumble tofu into skillet, and add spices.
3. Slightly brown tofu and add diced tomatoes. Sautree for 3-5 minutes or until tomatoes are cooked.
4. Top with cheese and cover with lid to melt.

* Recipe (for sausage):

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the sausage crumbles with olive oil and cook until brown.

* Recipe (for assembly):

1. Assemble by layering potatoes on the bottom of a plate then the sausage and "scrambled egg" and cheese.
2. Top with salsa and chili peppers if you like spice. Serve with a side of toast. Perfect for brunch for two or as hangover food!

* Note: For cheese, I used Daiya cheddar shreds. One could shred other brands by hand. The sausage crumbles were Upton's Natural's brand that I chopped up fine. One could use Boca crumbles, Yves, or Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage in replacement. Lastly, feel free to add some veggie bacon to this too such as Yves Canadian Bacon or Lightlife Smart Bacon.  

Vegan Thanksgiving Feast: Part Two

Part Two of the Vegan Thanksgiving Feast!

Stuffing with Kale & Mushrooms

* Prep Time: 20 minutes
* Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
* Ingredients:

• 1 loaf sourdough bread, chopped into small pieces, toasted
• 1/4 cup leek, white parts, finely chopped
• 3 celery stalked, finely chopped
• 1/2 small white onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp dried sage
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 tbsp soy butter*
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup kale, chopped
• 1/3 cup cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 "eggs", made by box instructions*
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp pine nuts, minced 

* Recipe:

1. At 300 degrees, bake the pieces of bread for about 15 minutes, until toasted. Remove and set aside.
2. In a medium skillet, combine 3 tbsp butter, onions, and leeks. Cook until onions are translucent.
3. Add the celery, sage, thyme, mushrooms, kale, salt, and pepper. Cook until kale is wilted and mushrooms are tender.
4. Add the vegetable broth and simmer.
5. In a large bowl, combine the "eggs", bread pieces, parsley, and pine nuts.
6. Add the vegetable-broth mixture from the skillet. Mix well.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
8. Grease a baking dish with 1 tbsp butter. Add the bread crumb mixture. Use the remaining butter from greasing to spread over the top of the stuffing.
9. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncovered and bake for another 15 minutes or until top is golden.

* Note: For soy butter, I use olive oil based Earth Balance. I like Ener-G for egg replacer. 


Mushroom & Seitan Savory Pie

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 1 - 1 1/2 hours
* Ingredients (dough):

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar*
• 16 tbsp soy butter
• 8-12 tbsp ice water
• 2 tsp fresh thyme

* Ingredients (pie filling):

• 1 cup dried mushrooms, variety*
• 1/3 cup cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup white onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine*
• 1 cube "beef" broth*
• 1 tbsp cornstarch, combined with water to form mixture
• 1/4 cup plain soy yogurt*
• 1/2 cup seitan, chopped*
• 1 tbsp soy butter

* Recipe (for dough):

1. Place the butter in a small bowl and place in freezer.
2. Combine the flour, salt, sugar, and thyme.
3. Add the butter slowly and mix with a fork. 
4. Next, add the water slowly until the mixture begins to clump together. Pinch some of the dough. If it stays together, then it is ready. If it falls a part, add more water and continue mixing.
5. Form into a disk form and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in freezer until ready to make the pie.

* Recipe (for pie filling):

1. Rehydrate mushrooms in a medium pot until completely tender. Reserve 1 cup of mushroom water.
2. In a medium skillet, add the olive oil and onions until translucent. Next, add the cremini mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Chop the rehydrated dried mushrooms and place in skillet. Cook for a few minutes.
4. Add the white wine and seitan. Cook for another couple minutes.
5. Combine the "beef" broth cube with the reserved 1 cup of mushroom water. Add to the skillet with mushrooms. 
6. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cornstarch mixture and combine well. Cook for another several minutes.
7. Lastly, add the soy yogurt and mix over low heat for 2 minutes.

* Recipe (for building pie):

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Dust a space with all-purpose flour. Roll out the dough until thin enough to work with where it does not fall a part. 
3. Line two small pie pans with dough. Cut off edges with excess dough.
4. Roll out dough again and create top pieces for the pie.
5. Add 6 tbsp or so of the mushroom seitan mixture to each pie pan with dough.
6. Place top dough over each pie pan and using a fork, press down the sides of the dough.
7. Create a plus sign or cross in the middle of both pies with the fork.
8. Using soy butter, grease the tops of the pies.
9. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the tops are golden.

* Note: Make sure your sugar is vegan. I found a dried mushroom variety pack at Whole Foods. Just make sure you have several different types such as woodland, morel, portobello, etc. Make sure your wine is vegan on Barnivore. For "beef" broth, I used Frontier brand. For soy yogurt, I used WholeSoy brand. Lastly, I used my own seitan recipe for this recipe. You could use Westsoy brand if you want or even meatless crumbles like Boca or Upton's Naturals. 


Champagne Mushroom Gravy

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Cook Time: 25 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 cup portobello mushroom soup*
• 1 cup champagne
• 1/4 cup shallots, minced
• 5 tbsp soy butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp dried sage

* Recipe:

1. Place the champagne in a small pot over medium heat and bring to boil. Reduce to half its size.
2. Add the shallots, salt, and 2 tbsp butter. Cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Next, add the mushroom soup and sage. Mix well and cook for an additional several minutes.
4. In a medium skillet, add the remaining 3 tbsp butter. When melted, add the all-purpose flour and combine well. 
5. While continuously stirring, add the champagne mushroom broth a bit at a time.
6. Keep stirring until sauce is thick similar to a gravy.

* Note: For portobello mushroom soup, I used Imagine brand.  

Go-To Seitan Recipes

Deli-Style Seitan

Going through old blog entries, I have realized I have a lot of various seitan recipes that I have used and posted. Some have made it back to my go-to seitan recipe list and others I have decided are not as good. So, because of this, I decided to make a post clarifying which I like the best.

For a meaty pot roast sort of texture and feel, I like this one I used for my Chicken and Buckwheat Waffles recipe and my Country Fried Seitan Steak recipe. It soaks up liquids nice, so it goes well with a gravy. 

If you are looking to make more of a deli-style sandwich, this recipe for the seitan on the Italian "Beef" Sandwiches is what you'll want. It slices very well!

If you have made any of Vegan Miss' seitan recipes, I'd love to hear how they turned out. Thank you. xoxo

Italian Wedding Soup

I do miss Italian wedding soup a lot. This was pretty taste. I would recommend using the Galaxy brand Parmesan if you can find it. I tried three Whole Foods, but couldn't find anything so I settled for Parm which I do not particularly care for. It has too much of nutty taste for me. The floating bits in the pictures are from the Parm. Apparently that's what happens to it when added to liquids. There is also couscous at the bottom of the soup too which you can not see in the pictures. Some people prefer spiral pasta noodles, though, so pick whichever strikes your fancy! 

Italian Wedding Soup

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
* Ingredients (for meatballs):

• 1 package (8 oz.) Italian style seitan, finely chopped*
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup vegan Parmesan*
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 "eggs", made as directed by box instructions*
• 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs*
• 1 tbsp olive oil

* Ingredients (for soup base):

• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 2 tbsp vegan Parmesan
• pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup white wine*
• 1/2 cup couscous
• 2 tbsp olive oil

* Recipe (for meatballs):

1. Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Form into small to medium shaped balls.

* Recipe (for soup):

1. Over medium heat in a pot, add the olive oil. Brown each side of the meatballs for about 10 minutes.
2. Remove the meatballs and set aside.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 20-30 minutes.
4. When done cooking, place some broth in a bowl and add several meatballs.

* Note: For my seitan needs, I swear by local seitan gods, Upton's Naturals. You can find it online at vegan stores. You could use other seitan-style meat crumbles such as Boca Ground Crumbles,Gimme Lean Sausage by Lightlife, or Yves Meatless Ground Round Original. For ease, one could just use frozen vegan meatballs too such as Nate's. For vegan Parmesan, I recommend Galaxy brand. I basically only use Ener-G for egg replacement purposes. Make sure your breadcrumbs are vegan as they often have dairy in them! I use Whole Foods brand. Make sure your alcohol is vegan.

Recap: The Chicago Vegan Chef Showdown

This weekend was the Chicago Vegan Chef Showdown. All proceeds from this event went to Mercy For Animals life-saving work to help promote veganism and reduce the suffering of farmed animals in the United States. Each team or contestant had to use Upton's Naturals seitan (any one of their varieties) in their dish as they were hosting this event. The event was held at the Funky Buddha Lounge here in Chicago on July 23rd. The turnout was incredible! Over 200 people showed up to support the competitors, MFA, and Upton's Naturals. Vegan Miss competed with one of my favorites, my deep dish vegan pizza. My friends and I spent the whole day before making pizza after pizza; in total, fourteen! So much pizza! We had quite the assembly line after a while going on in the kitchen. ;]

Though Vegan Miss did not place, two of MFA's great volunteers, Meagen and Blythe, won third with their cheeze and seitan ravioli's. A company called the Rootsy Vegan won first place with their jerk seitan which was really good. Dishes of the day were a "beef" curry with raita and rice, seitan tacos with a mango salsa, empanadas (won second, very tasty - indeed!), corn bread muffins with seitan and a glaze, seitan and pasta, and others. Kelly Peloza of the Vegan Cookie Connoisseur and Seitan Beats Your Meat was competing too - right next to VM! Congratulations to all the winners and great job to all contestants! We all worked really hard.

I very much enjoyed this event and the preparations I had to make ahead of time. We made business cards, a sign, a new blog layout, and did a little antique shopping to decorate the table. Alas, there was to be a flier with the recipe instructions, but time became an issue and it was never printed.

Many, many thanks to Chicago Soydairy for helping this blog doll out with a massive amount of Teese mozzarella. Could not have done it without them! 


Photo Credit: Louis McGill

Italian "Beef" Sandwiches with Homemade Giardiniera

As a Chicagoan, I do not participate in the city's love of Italian beef with all the gross juiciness. Instead, I create much healthier versions that lack meat and share for all the world to make as well. :D

Cute humor aside, this turned out freaking fantastic. This is coming from a vegan, vegetarian, and the two omnivores that all had it. If anyone tries it (or any recipes for that matter), could you please send a picture my way at veganmiss@gmail.com? I would appreciate it! On the Facebook and Flickr for Vegan Miss, I post pictures of people's recreations (with credit, of course). 


If anyone has gone to Revolution Brewing here in the city (owned by the Handlebar people), there are these awesome polenta fries with vegan aioli. With it comes their homemade giardiniera. My friends and I always love it and so I decided to make my own. It turned out pretty good! I didn't add any spice to it (via jalapenos or serranos) because I don't like much spicy stuff.

Italian "Beef" Sandwiches


* Prep Time:  15-20 minutes
* Cook Time: 1 hour
* Ingredients (for seitan):

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 tbsp basil
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup vegetarian "beef" broth*
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 (14 oz.) firm tofu package

* Ingredients (for au jus):

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups vegetarian "beef" broth
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp tobasco
• 8 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce*
• salt, to taste
• 1 jar pepperoncini juice (16 oz.)
• 8 pepperoncini, sliced
• 2 tbsp basil
• 1 bottle of ale beer (12 oz.)*

* Ingredients (for sandwich assembly):

• 5-6 french rolls*
• 2-3 tsp homemade giardiniera*
• 1 pepperoncini, sliced 

* Recipe (for seitan):

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Blend tofu and other wet ingredients in blender or food processor until tofu is smooth.
3. Put wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl. Mix well.
4. Roll into a log that is 2.5 - 3 in. wide. Loosely roll foil around the seitan log and twist both ends like a tootsie roll.
5. Place in a pot with au jus. Have something holding it from the bottom so it is not touching the broth (ex: a deep cookie cutter).
6. Steam for 1 hour. While you are steaming, the au jus is cooking.
7. When done steaming, take out of pot, allow to cool. When cool, slice thinly like deli meat.

* Recipe (for au jus):

1. In a medium pot, add all the ingredients together. Cook with the seitan (see recipe above).
2. Serve with the Italian beef, either dipping the bread or the seitan.

* Recipe (for sandwich assembly):

1. Slice the french roll in half lengthwise. Dip the bread in au jus, if desired.
2. Add a heaping pile of au jus soaked sliced seitan. Top with giardiniera and pepperoncini.

* Note: For vegetarian beef bouillon, I used Better Than Bouillon brand No Beef Base. For vegan Worcestershire sauce, I used The Wizard's brand. For ale beer, make sure it is vegan on Barnivore. Make sure the french rolls are vegan. For homemade giardiniera, see my recipe below.

Homemade Giardiniera


* Prep Time: 24 hours
* Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours
* Ingredients:

• 2 green peppers, chopped fine
• 2 red peppers, chopped fine
• 1 poblano pepper, chopped fine*
• 3-4 medium to small celery stalks, chopped fine
• 1 large carrot, chopped fine
• 1 small white onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup salt
• water, to cover
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 cup white vinegar
• 2 cup olive oil

* Recipe:

1. Chop the first seven ingredients and mix in a big bowl. Add the salt and enough water to cover the vegetables. Cover the bowl. Allow to sit in the fridge overnight.
2. The next day, drain and rinse the vegetables of the salt water.
3. Wash canning jars with soap and water. Dry completely (inside and out). Bake the jars at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes. Allow jars to cool to touch (do not touch the rim or inside, though).
4. Spoon the vegetables into jars almost to the top (3/4th to 1 in. from the top).
5. Boil the jar lids in a small pot for about 10 minutes.
6. In a pot, bring the remaining ingredients to a boil. Once at a boil, bring to a low simmer and then spoon the mixture into the jars with the vegetables.
7. Using prongs, top the jars with their lids. Screw on ring until tight to touch.
8. Place the jars into a large pot of boiling water (so the jars are submerged). Boil for 15 minutes.
9. Remove and allow to cool before touching jars.

* Note: I used half pint jars for canning this giardiniera. It made about 10 jars. Canning the jars like this should allow one to be able to leave them as is until the seal is broken. If one does not want to can it, they could just put the vegetables and liquid mixture in a jar and keep it in the fridge. Lastly, feel free to add jalapenos or serranos to this recipe. I don't like spicy stuff, so I put in the poblano.


Speaking of canning, two weeks ago, I made a whole ton of pickled vegetables. Included were several dill pickle jars (slices and spears), beats with ginger, cherry tomatoes, button mushrooms, green tomatoes, and cauliflower. I'm waiting a few more weeks until I open them. Really, one can wait for a week and then try your pickled concoctions, but the longer the better. When I do open them and if they are good, I'll post the recipes. I'm looking forward to making pickled fried green tomatoes!

Dishes Men Like: Mystery Cheese Ball Spread, Imperial Salad, & "Beef" and Mushroom Casserole

Ah, Dishes Men Like. I decided to give another few recipes a whirl out of this book. Honestly, I am floored with how good they turn out despite a) 1950's food in general was never deemed all that good and b) it's veganized 1950's food! This salad dressing was very tasty, the cheese ball actually tasted like bleu cheese, and the casserole was a huge hit.


Mystery Cheese Ball Spread

* Prep Time: 1 hour - 24 hours
* Cook Time:  5 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 6 oz. package soy bleu cheese*
• 4 oz. vegan cream cheese*
• 1 tsp white onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce*
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped

* Recipe:

1. Combine the bleu cheese, cream cheese, onion, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least one hour, up to 24 hours.
2. Form the mixture into a large ball. Roll around in mixed up parsley and walnuts. Serve with crackers.

* Note:  For soy bleu cheese, I used Sunergia Soyfoods. You can order it online. For cream cheese, I used Tofutti. For Worcestershire sauce, I used The Wizard's organic brand.




Imperial Salad

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 15 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegan sugar*
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp prepared mustard
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• water
• 3 strips veggie bacon*
• 4 tbsp salad oil
• 1 large head of lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, diced

* Recipe:

1. Combine the first seven ingredients in a measuring cup; add water to fill up to 1 cup mark.
2. In a small skillet, fry up the bacon in the salad oil until tender.
3. Chop the lettuce and place in large bowl. Add onion.
4. Tear the bacon into small bits.
5. Stir contents of the cup; combine with fried bacon and oil.
6. In a small sauce pan, heat the mixture and simmer. Do not bring to boil.
7. Pour over the lettuce and onion. Serve immediately.

* Note: For vegan sugar, I used Florida Crystals. For veggie bacon, I used Lightlight. 




 "Beef" and Mushroom Casserole with Sour Cream

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 40 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 bags of Gardein Beefless Tips*
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup vegan sour cream*
• 4 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 8 oz. cooked fusilli noodles or cooked rice

* Recipe:

1. In a large skillet, add the olive oil and heat. Add the beefless tips and brown for a few minutes. Remove the meat and add the garlic and onions. Cook until the onions are translucent.
2. Blend in flour, add sour cream, and cook, stirring constantly until thickened.
3. Return meat to pan, add remaining ingredients, mix well.
4. Turn into greased casserole dish, bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
5. Serve over noodles or rice.

* Note: Gardein is a great brand you can find just about anywhere now. This recipe called for steak so this is what I used instead. It turned out amazing. For vegan sour cream I used Tofutti.