The Sexy Vegan Cookbook (5 page)
Read The Sexy Vegan Cookbook Online
Authors: Brian L. Patton
½ pound russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup vital wheat gluten flour (see WTF below)
1 tablespoon chickpea flour or all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Seitan Seasoning (see recipe,
page 208
)
cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce (see WTF, next page)
½ teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (see WTF,
page 12
)
cup plus 2 tablespoons water
¾ cup drained freshly cooked or rinsed canned white beans (cannellini, navy, etc.)
In a small pot, cover the potatoes with cold water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chunks easily fall apart when you put a fork through them. Drain the potatoes well and, while they’re still hot, gently mash with a fork until there are no chunks left, or pass through a potato ricer. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together the wheat gluten, chickpea flour, and seitan seasoning.
is vital wheat gluten?
It is the natural protein found in wheat. Making seitan from scratch appears to be an enormous pain in the ass, and I will never, ever do it. What I call for in this book is vital wheat gluten flour. You can get it at any health food store or on the interwebs.
is tamari?
Tamari is a darker, richer, less salty, wheat-free version of soy sauce. You can find it at any Asian market, in the Asian section of a grocery store, or on the interwebs.
In a food processor or blender, puree the tamari, Worcestershire, water, and beans. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, add them and the bean mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mash it all together with your hands to form a soft dough, making sure there are no dry parts remaining. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before using. You can also wrap the dough in plastic and store it in the refrigerator for later use. It will last for 5 days.
• Seitan Slices (
for sandwiches
)
Shape the dough into a 2½-inch-diameter log. Wrap it loosely in foil (it will need space to expand during cooking), making sure the packet’s completely sealed. Using a steamer basket, steam the seitan for 1 hour, then remove the foil, and let cool to room temperature. Then, for easier slicing, you can place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes until firm. You’ll be able to get thinner slices this way. Store the slices in a zip-top bag for up to a week.
• Seitan Cutlets (
great for grilling, chopping up for salads, or stir-fries
)
Divide the dough into six portions. Flatten the portions on a cutting board with a rolling pin or your hand until they are an oblong shape, 3 to 4 inches long, 2 to 3 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Place a cutlet on a 12-by-12-inch square of foil. Leaving some space for expansion, loosely fold the sides of the foil over the dough, forming a flat packet. There is no need to twist or seal the ends of the foil. Repeat until you have six foil packets. Place one packet on top of another one, and repeat until you have three stacks of two packets. Take each stack and wrap the two packets together in another piece of foil, again leaving space for expansion, but this time crimp the edges of the foil together to seal the packets. So now you have three packets containing two cutlets each. Using a steamer basket, steam the cutlets for 1 hour, then remove and let cool to room temperature. Now you can do with them what you please…within the letter of the law, of course.
Here they are! For the whole planet to behold…My Balls! You can place them atop a pile of spaghetti or line them up in a hoagie roll, smother them with tomato sauce and your favorite vegan cheese, and bake for a killer ball-parm sando.
4 ounces tempeh
½ cup raw walnuts
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (see WTF, next page)
1 teaspoon minced fresh Italian parsley
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
¼ cup diced yellow onion
½ teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (see WTF,
page 12
)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon low-sodium tamari or soy sauce (see WTF,
page 25
)
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to lube the baking sheet and coat the balls
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a steamer basket, steam the tempeh for 25 minutes to soften it. Then let it cool. In a food processor, combine the walnuts, nutritional yeast, parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, onion, Worcestershire, tomato paste, tamari, water, and oil, and process until you have a semi-moist meal.
In a bowl, crumble the steamed tempeh with your hands until there are no big chunks left. Then add the mixture from the food processor to the bowl, plus a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper,
and mash it all together with your hands. You will now be able to form this mass into little balls. Make them just a bit smaller than beer-pong balls (depending on when and where you went to college, you may know them as Ping-Pong balls), about 1½ inches in diameter.
Lube up a baking sheet with the oil, lay the balls on it, coat them with a little more oil, and bake for 30 minutes. My balls are now ready for consumption.
is nutritional yeast?
It’s a yellow, flaky, nutty, cheesy-tasting substance. It’s made by culturing stuff, and other natural science-y processes that I don’t care to learn about. All I care about is that it’s a great source of vitamin B
12
and deliciousness, so I use it a lot. Find it in the supplement or bulk section of a health food store, or on the interwebs.
Toss these with some Tomato Killer and sauteed peppers and onions, and throw them on a crusty Italian roll. Classic.
½ pound russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup vital wheat gluten flour (see WTF,
page 24
)
2 tablespoons Seitan Seasoning (see recipe,
page 208
)
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon chickpea flour or all-purpose flour
¼ cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce (see WTF,
page 25
)
¾ cup water
¼ cup diced yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
½ cup drained freshly cooked or rinsed canned white beans (cannellini, navy, etc.)
Extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
In a small pot, cover the potatoes with cold water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chunks easily fall apart when you put a fork through them. Drain the potatoes well and, while they’re still hot, gently mash with a fork until there are no chunks left, or pass through a potato ricer. Set aside to cool.
In a bowl, whisk together the wheat gluten, seitan seasoning, chili flakes, fennel seeds, and chickpea flour. In a food processor or blender, puree the tamari, water, onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and beans. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, add them and the bean mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mash it all together with your hands to form a soft dough,
making sure there are no dry parts remaining. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes before using. You can also wrap it in plastic and store it in the refrigerator for later use. It will last for 5 days.