Beefy Seitan and Mushroom Stroganoff

Wow, it's been too long since I last posted. Didn't intend to take so long and I have definitely been cooking, but life keeps happening and there are only so many hours in the day……

The good news is, the snow melted and we had a sunny day or two. The not-so-good news is, more snow fell this morning, but just a dusting. And the Mac's keyboard went out. The really bad news is that I am selling my horses and it is breaking my heart. Truth is, there are, as I said earlier, only so many hours in the day. And there are only so many dollars in the bank account. That's the biggie - money. Horses are so darned expensive to keep, especially when you have to board them out. That's about all I'm going to say about the horses or I will have to stop writing to cry. Which is the biggest reason I haven't been blogging.

Today's post - Beefy Seitan and Mushroom Stroganoff. I've been meaning to make this and post about it for awhile. I finally got around to making it Tuesday night, and man, is it good! And even better as leftovers. I just finished having it for lunch and my tummy is very full and very satisfied! Now I need a nap………

12 oz. beefy seitan, thinly sliced
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 clove fresh garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cups water*
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces vegan sour cream
12 ounces bag wide egg-free noodles or pasta

*If you have the simmering broth from making Beefy Seitan left, use 2 cups of that instead of the water. It works great!


In a zip-top bag, combine flour, seasoned salt and black pepper. Shake to blend, add the seitan strips, and shake to coat.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until transparent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add the seitan strips and flour then brown for about 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Add the salt, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar and water to the pan and stir to scrape up all the flavorful brown bits.

Simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream gently for the final minutes of cooking. Do not boil. Serve over egg-free noodles.

I served this with garlicky spinach which is super simple. It goes like this:

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a cast iron or non-stick skillet.

Sauté 1-2 cloves minced garlic in the oil and add a pinch (or two) or crushed red pepper flakes.

Add one bag of frozen chopped spinach and cook until the spinach is completely thawed, stirring frequently.

Add salt to taste.

It takes like a total of 7-8 minutes.

Anybody out there planning your spring garden? I'd love to hear what you're planting!

Beefy Seitan and a Cheeze "Steak" Sammich

I'm going to have to stop calling my posts part of the pantry challenge. For all practical purposes, the challenge is over, although there are still many unused items left in my pantry. I am starting to have to buy more and more things at the grocery to be able to use those items and still produce balanced meals! That doesn't mean I am not still being frugal. It just means I don't feel like I can honestly call it a true pantry challenge any longer. Either way, I'm impressed at how far we got with it!

This weekend I made some really tasty beef-style seitan. I do not remember where this recipe came from - it is one of those recipes that's been hanging around in one of my binders for ages and I just now got around to making it. I knew I wanted something rich and savory that I could slice up for "steak" sandwiches and fajitas, as well as a Seitan and Mushroom Stroganoff.

BEEFY SEITAN

Seitan
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vital gluten
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups warm vegetable broth
2 tsp Marmite
2 tbs tahini
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp Liquid Smoke
2 tsp Kitchen Bouquet

Cooking broth
vegetable broth - if simmering on top of stove you will need 6-8 cups; if baking, 4 cups
1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup tomato juice or V-8

2 tbs Marmite
1 tbs Kitchen Bouquet
1/2 to 1 tbs Liquid Smoke

If using the stovetop method, combine the broth ingredients and bring them to boil in a large pot over medium heat.

If baking, preheat oven to 325.

Saute onions and garlic until onion is translucent.

In a bowl, mix seitan ingredients. Add onion/garlic mixture and stir to combine well. You can use a food processor, but I prefer to use my hands. Mix until a soft dough is formed and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead for a few minutes.

Divide gluten into a dozen or so "steaks" and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

If using the stovetop method, slide "steaks" into the simmering broth, cover, and allow to simmer for 1 hour. Do not boil.

If using the oven method, place "steaks" into a casserole dish and pour the broth over them. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

Save any leftover cooking broth. This makes a killer "au jus" for "roast beef" sandwiches or can be used as a gravy base.

Here is a delicious toasted cheeze "steak" sandwich with onions, peppers, and mushrooms on a homemade crusty French roll. YUM!