holiday roast

  

Overview

Time: 3 to 4 hours, mostly hands-off ; more time-consuming than difficult
Dishes: large bowl, measuring cups, roasting pan, medium pot 

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I have been wanting to post this meatless, vegetarian and vegan recipe for the Holiday Roast for a long time (years!), but I guess the holidays get in the way. This year, with my girls spread to different parts of California (son and his hubby are with us through the pandemic), I *really* wanted to get this recipe out there.

So, yes, it is very late - but not too late - you can still make this. The oddest ingredient is the grain coffee (or instant decaf coffee will do). The recipe is very doable.

Game Plan:

Umami Flavoring

Easy Savory Broth Mix

Roast (takes about 3 hours to cook)

Glaze (make while Roast cooks)

Gravy and other accompaniments

 

I will update with current photos and video (hopefully!). 

Helpful tip: the flavor of your gravy is in the roux, so cook it to golden brown.

I will be very available for blog questions, so don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or issues.

Enjoy!

Umami Flavoring:

Easy Savory Broth Mix:

Roast Dry and Wet Ingredients:

Wet Ingredient in Blender and Blended. Notice how smooth the tofu is:

Kneading Roast: First stir the batter together and then start kneading.

Troubleshoot: Depending on your vital wheat gluten and on measuring, you might need to add a few tablespoons of extra gluten flour to make the mass kneadable. Don't add too much (max is around 3 tablespoons - the third photo is where I added 2 tablespoons of extra gluten because it was not holding together), but be able to knead it together. 

It should still be tacky and sticking a bit to your hand as you knead. Also, the gluten flour takes a few minutes to absorb all the liquid so don't stress if it looks like it won't be a cohesive mass.

The last photo is what the gluten looks like after 8 minutes of hand kneading. You can go longer if you want. 

Cooking Broth:

Forming and Wrapping the Roast: There are two kinds of cheesecloth - either one is fine.

Wrap like a burrito and tie as best as you can. Not tight and not loose. The gluten will expand.

Add Roast to Pan. Roll the roast in the liquid to moisten the cheesecloth. Cover with parchment and then foil. Seal tightly and bake.

Glaze: 

Glaze the Roast: Once the roast is cooked, unroll and place on baking sheet. I glazed it twice, but did not flip it. One-sided glaze for us.

This is from a reader:

"This is how we did. First time making our own Thanksgiving meal. Thanks for the detailed instructions!" 

~ K.D. A.D. and C.H.

For Best Printing, Highlight the text between the notations, right click and select Print:

Highlight from the title Complete Holiday Roast Recipe ----->

COMPLETE HOLIDAY ROAST RECIPE

The recipe, as written, is for 8 servings. For a large family, make it as Holiday Roast and double the ingredients where noted.

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Umami Flavoring Makes 3/4 cups

1.  Combine: Mix in a small bowl. Transfer to a mason jar and store in the refrigerator.

1 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 cup instant grain or decaf coffee

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup tamari

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic granules/powder

1 teaspoon onion granules/powder

Easy Savory Broth Mix Makes 1/2 cup; doubles easily 

1. Blend: Add the ingredients to a blender. Use the flat blade, if possible:

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

3 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons dried sage

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

2. Blend well into a powder. Transfer to an air-tight container and store away from light.

3. Use: Add 1 teaspoon to 1 cup of water. Mix well. 

4. Optional: add an equal amount of nutritional yeast to the recipe. For instance, if making a cup of broth, add 1 teaspoon of Savory Broth Mix to 1 cup water PLUS 1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast. 

 

Glaze (double recipe for Holiday Roast) Makes 1 cup

1. Onion: Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Add and cook for 3 minutes:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup minced onions

4 garlic cloves, minced

 

2. Liquid: Add the rest of the ingredients to the Onion mixture. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook until it reduces to 1 cup, about 15 minutes:

1 cup apple juice or 3 tablespoons applesauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup tamari

1/4 cup sweet rice wine (not vinegar)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2-inch ginger

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

3 tablespoons whiskey (optional)

3. Heat Roast: Heat oven to 350-F. If the Roast is cold, cook for 30 minutes to heat first, on a baking sheet.

4. Glaze Roast: Set oven to 350-F. Baste the Roast with the prepared glaze and bake for 15 minutes. Flip Roast and glaze and bake for another 15 minutes. Repeat if more glaze is desired.

Gravy (double recipe for Holiday Roast) Makes 8 servings

1. Base: Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook for 4 minutes:

3 tablespoons olive oil or vegan butter

1/2 cup minced onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

 

2. Roux: Add the herbs and flour and cook until the flour smells nutty and is golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly:

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon sage

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Easy Savory Broth Mix

 

3. Broth: Add the broth slowly, while whisking the Roux to prevent lumps. When all the broth is added, bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer the mixture until it is as thick as you like, about 5 to 10 minutes. Thin with vegan milk, water or broth, if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper:

2 cups vegetable broth

Salt and black pepper, to taste 

Roast (double recipe for Holiday Roast)

Makes 8 servings

1. Dry Mix: Combine in a large bowl and set aside:

2 3/4 cup (350 grams) vital wheat gluten (stir gluten before measuring)

1/2 cup chickpea flour

 

2. Blender Mix: Combine in a blender. Blend well and add to the Dry Mix in the large bowl:

1 cup water

1 (14-ounce) firm tofu

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon Umami Flavoring

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons Easy Savory Broth Mix

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion granules/powder

1 teaspoon garlic granules/powder

3. Knead: Combine the Blender Mix and Dry Mix in the large bowl. Knead for 10 minutes. This is easier in a bread machine or stand mixer, but doable by hand. Take a break half-way through. Set aside while you prepare the broth.

4. Cooking Broth: Combine in a roasting pan and set aside:  

4 cups vegetable broth

5 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon paprika

5. Form: Form the gluten into a 6-8-inch long log and roll in a cheesecloth. Tie with twine and add to the Cooking Broth. Cover tightly with parchment paper and foil and put in oven. Bake at 300-F (no need to preheat) for 3 hours. Flip the roast every hour.

 

6. Cool or Glaze. Unwrap Roast to cool or Glaze.

 

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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french dip

 

Overview

Time: 20 minutes
Dishes: medium pot 

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I offer you another meatless, vegetarian and vegan family favorite - and very fast to prepare, too! The only catch is that you need to have the seitan ready. I highly recommend making the Easy Simple Seitan since it is very simple to make and fast. A loaf can be done in 45 to 60 minutes and costs a fraction of commercially available setian.

Good news on the seitan, besides that it is easy and fast, is that it freezes very well, so make it and freeze it for later use. 

The au jus here is just perfect for this sandwich. I recommend making your own Worcestershire sauce because it is easy, fast and much cheaper. It also tastes better, which dominoes into making the dip taste better, too. However, use bottled if you don't have the time or desire.

NOTE: It is important to the toast the roll well, otherwise the dip will become too soggy.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Put the broth on to bring to boil first. Reduce to simmer.
• Add the seasoning as you get them ready; no need to wait to bring to boil first.
• Slice the seitan as thin as you can while the broth simmers. 
• Toast the bread while the seitan simmers in the au jus. 

French Dip Sandwich

Makes 4 servings 

easy

 

1. Au Jus: Combine the broth, thyme, oregano and vegan butter in a medium or large pot. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 5 minutes.

3 cups vegetable broth (or 3 cups water and 1 Tablespoon mix)

3 tablespoons vegan worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons vegan butter

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon oregano

2. Seitan: Add the seitan to the Au Jus, return to simmer and cook for 5 minutes:

1 (16-ounce) loaf Easy Simple Seitan, sliced as thin as possible 

3. Serve: Split 4 rolls, toast and fill with equal portions of Seitan from the Au Jus. Serve with the Au Jus on the side: 

4 hard rolls or Aquafaba rolls

Sliced Seitan 

Au jus

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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seitan picatta

Overview

Time: 30 minutes
Dishes: large skillet, 2 pie plates (or shallow dishes), measuring cup, lemon juicer

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I've blogged about Picatta a few times before, so if you haven't given it a try, yet, it really seems I would like you to. This meatless, vegetarian and vegan version is the fastest I can come up with, while keeping the recipe as delicious. 

This is seitan in a lemon-broth sauce and is really delicious. I've mostly seen it with capers, so toss in a few teaspoons if you are a caper fan, but I like to keep it simple. No capers here. 

We always have mashed potatoes with this and garlic greens, and all told, dinner was on the table in 45 minutes. The Picatta itself took 30 minutes, so I started the potatoes and even the brussels sporuts, first. 

I used my large skillet for the greens so had to settle with a medium skillet for the seitan and, thus, had to brown the seitan in three batches. Even with this additional timing for the extra batch, the dish was ready in 30 minutes.

Because some breading falls off while cooking, you might need to wipe the pan with a towel between batches to remove the burnt breading. 

We had a diner come a little late to the table, to his woe; all the "seconds" were gone. It really is that good. 

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• If making mashed potatoes, start those on the highest/strongest burner first. Then move to a lower burner when cooking the seitan (to allow the stronger heat for cooking the seitan).
• Use a cake pan for the breading and coating.
• Prepare the breading, coating and cut the seitan. 
• When breading the seitan, add the slices right from the coating and shimmy the pan back and forth to coat the pieces. This will avoid having to flip them.
• When cooking the seitan don't worry about getting everything evenly browned; it'll all go away with the sauce.
• Prepare the broth and lemon juice while the seitan browns.

 

Picatta

Makes 4 servings 

easy

Serve with mashed potatoes and greens. 

1. Seitan: Cut a loaf of Easy Simple Seitan into 1/4-inch thick slices.

14-ounces Easy Simple Seitan (1 loaf)

2. Breading: Combine the ingredients in a cake pan and stir well:

1 cup dried regular breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

3. Coating: Combine the ingredients in a second cake pan and stir:

6 tablespoons unsweetened nondairy milk

3 tablespoons cornstarch

4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Dredge a few slices of Seitan in the Coating and then in the Breading. Add to the skillet. Repeat with as many slices as will fit. Cook until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes, and remove to a plate. Repeat until all the seitan is cooked. You might need to wipe the pan between batches to avoid burnt breading.

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

5. Sauce: Add to the empty skillet the broth and lemon juice. Cook until reduced by about a third, over medium heat, about 5 minutes.

2 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

6. Serve: Add the Seitan to the Sauce and cook for 2 minutes to thicken the Sauce. Serve.  

 

 

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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southwest vegetable soup

Overview

Time: 30 minutes
Dishes: large pot 

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

This meatless, vegetarian and vegan soup is so delicious and it is so easy to make! It's a take on Chili's restaurant's version and I can see why it is popular. It is full of vegetables and it has just the right amount of thickness. The soup is thickened with corn tortillas so it is super easy. 

A few tips: 

• Since the recipe uses 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, freeze the rest for later use, if you have any leftover. 
• Chop the tortillas small because they have to dissolve to thicken the soup. 
• Use zucchini or green beans here; makes no difference. 
• You can use water and Better Than Boullion - 8 cups water plus 2 tablespoons boullion. 
• Don't drain the beans; the kidney bean aquafaba is perfect here.

Add plenty of vegan cheese or diced avocado and broken tortilla chips - here's where to use up the bottom of that chip bag we always seeem to be left with.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Start the broth, diced tomato and tortillas first. Heat over high heat to get them boiling fast. Use a lid.
• Add the rest of the ingredients as you have them ready. Don't drain the beans.
• Cook the soup over medium heat so that it is simmering at a good pace throughout - none of that lightly simmering stuff; you need the tortillas to disintegrate. No lid here.

 

Southwest Vegetable Soup

Makes 4 servings 

easy

1. Base: Add the broth, tomatoes and tortillas to a large pot. Bring to boil over high heat with a lid. Reduce to a low boil/strong simmer. The tortillas need to dissolve to thicken the soup.

8 cups vegetable broth

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)

6 minced corn tortillas

2. Soup: Add the rest of the ingredients to the Base as they are ready:

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans (do not drain)

1 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 (4-ounce) can diced chiles

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

3. Cook the Soup at a strong simmer until the tortillas disintegrate, about medium heat, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

4. Serve: Ladle into bowls and top as desired:

Shredded vegan yellow cheese

Diced avocados

Broken tortilla chips

Minced cilantro 

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.