Sunday, January 4, 2015

Yep, I'm going there...again.

So it's going on a think like three years that I became a vegetarian...I'm not even sure..I have lost track of keeping count...what's the point..I just am one and that's that.
I tried a couple years back just after becoming a vegetarian to go vegan....and at the time I lived in a very small town in the middle of nowhere..so my choices were quite limited and the social support was ZILCH.
So, it's a new year...and being a few years into the whole no meat thing and already dropping the whole milk thing anyways...I figured it was time to go full vegan.
What will this mean for me. No more eggs or cheese...which is the only thing I had left to discard...and they don't do me any good or have any advantage other then fast and convenient...just like McDonalds used to be....and I don't go there anymore either...so really...it's just a matter of figuring out what I can eat if I go out to eat and what do I cook with when it calls for eggs...and in today's world there is SOOOOOO much info that really, if someone says they cannot cook vegan....they are just simply lazy.
When I have told a few relatives....hubster included that I was trying veganism again...I was met with total disapproval. Yup....thanks everyone for the support!!! I got nothing  but eye rolling and complaining that MY lifestyle decision was gonna ruin THEIR life LOL.....WTF! Ummmmmm how does what I eat have to do with you is what I feel like saying...but the answers of explanation I got...one being from my own Mother...here is what she had to say:
"Well if you go vegan, you're on your own, I can cook vegetarian but vegan is going to far...you gonna need to get way more vitamins and nutrients and eat a lot more nuts now." (cause apparently cheese and eggs gave me all I needed nutritionally lol)( also....I'm 43 and do not live at home, and she lives in another province lol)
So my Dad...he's vegetarian, has been for like 20 yrs and so here is what my Mom had to say about that.
"I can cook vegetarian for you Dad, but if he ever went vegan, he would have to fend for himself, I just can't go there, it's just too much."
Which my Mother will never have to worry about cause basically the type of vegetarian my Dad is, is a white bread, butter and eggs and cheese kinda guy....and a lot of beans lol.
His own doctor years back told him he is the fasted vegetarian he has ever met LMAO.
My own hubster thinks what I am doing is ridiculous...he complained that we will never be able to eat out again together....which I find funny, cause even as a vegetarian now.....eating out isn't really all that fun....I mean....oooohhhh goody...I can have pasta...AGAIN...ohhhhh goody....I can have a salad again....or, ooohhhh goody..ANOTHER good ol frozen veggie burger pattie AGAIN.
Yeah...my new lifestyle change sure is a fun one....NOT....however.....does it really matter what anyone else thinks? NOPE....seems that my whole life has been this way anyways..."oh that Robyn, she just beats to her own drum"...and I say...YUP...SURE DO!
Last night I tired a new vegan recipe....and OMG..it turned out soooooo great....even the hubster LIKED it....HOLY SHIT...is all I can say....the hubster admitted he would totally eat it as a meal and be happy....I am pretty  much sure I died right there.
Here is what I made:
( it was soooo good and turned out just perfect, I also served some brussel sprouts and next time might do a side potato dish too, if I were having company over er something)
( http://www.marystestkitchen.com/vegan-thanksgiving-stuff-seitan-roast-with-mushroom-gravy/) this is the link so you can watch the video tutorial of how it's done and for all the other bits of the recipe not all displayed here

Vegan Stuffed Seitan Roast with Mushroom Gravy

 

For the Dough
  1. 1 cup hot water
  2. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  3. 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
  4. 1 cube/teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder (or use double strength vegetable broth instead of the water)
  5. 2 tablespoons miso paste (preferably low-sodium, organic)
  6. 2 teaspoons onion powder
  7. 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (herb mix containing sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, nutmeg and black pepper)
  8. 1 tablespoon vinegar (white, apple cider, rice, etc)
  9. 1 tablespoon sugar (or sweetener of choice)
  10. 1 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten (gluten flour)
  11. 1/4 cup chickpea flour (may substitute soy or other bean flour)
Glaze for basting
  1. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  2. 1 tablespoon oil or melted vegan butter (such as Earth Balance)
  3. 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  4. 1 clove garlic, minced
  5. 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
Stuffing
  1. 1 cup worth of Classic Vegan Bread Stuffing ( the recipe for this is in the link I posted up above)
Instructions
  1. Combine the water, garlic, ginger, bouillon powder, miso paste, onion powder, poultry herb seasoning, vinegar, and sugar. Whisk together or use a blender to get the job done fast.
  2. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the vital wheat gluten and chickpea flour. Stir together until a dough forms.
  3. Knead the dough for one minute. Do not over-knead, otherwise the seitan may come out rubbery.
  4. Allow the dough to sit. This allows the gluten strands to relax.
  5. Meanwhile, you may prepare your stuffing if you haven't already.
  6. On a clean surface, roll out the seitan dough. Press it flat with your hands, first, then gently roll the dough out to about one foot in length. The dough will be about a half inch thick. Don't worry if there are some holes or tears. Just pinch them together.
  7. Now you can either choose the STEAM & BAKE method or the BAKE ONLY method.
STEAM AND BAKE METHOD
  1. Wrap the seitan dough tightly in a piece of clean, damp cheesecloth.
  2. Steam on high heat for one hour. Make sure to check the water level of your steamer every so often to ensure it doesn't dry out.
  3. Preheat your oven to 375F or 190C.
  4. Carefully remove the seitan from the steamer and unwrap. If the cloth sticks to the seitan, wet it from the outside and it should release.
  5. Mix the glaze ingredients together. Brush the glaze on to the steamed seitan loaf on all sides. Reserve the remaining glaze.
  6. Bake on a baking pan lined with parchment paper in your preheated oven for 30 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, remove the seitan loaf, flip it upside down and brush on the remaining glaze. Place back in the oven to continue baking.
  7. Remove the seitan from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving with mushroom gravy. (the recipe for this is also in the link above I posted for you)
BAKE ONLY METHOD
  1. Oil the middle of a large piece of aluminum foil.
  2. Place the seitan log at one end and roll it up, twisting the ends to seal like a crady wrapper.
  3. Bake in a oven preheated to 375F or 190C for 1 hour and 15 minutes. During the baking time, give the loaf a one-quarter turn every 15 minutes to ensure that the loaf cooks evenly and does not burn.
  4. Remove from the oven carefully and remove the foil carefully. There may be steam; do not burn yourself!
  5. Let the seitan cool slightly before slicing and serving with the gravy.  

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