Our Veggie Kitchen

It took me quite a bit of playing to come up with a texture that I like. In the process, I've relied on some great bloggers to develop this recipe, including Bryanna, VeganDad and Megatarian, who has a good tutorial here. Here are some of the tips that I've learned.

• The cooking broth, either on the stove or in the oven, should be just at the boiling point.
• Some people cook seitan all day in a crock pot, I don't have one and don't know how well that works. The oven works better than the stove.
• TVP adds texture. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't.
• Letting it sit and kneeding again helps integrate ingredients like tvp or oatmeal.
• Tying up the seitan balls in cheesecloth helps them firm up.

Beefy Seitan Roasts

Dry Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup oatmeal
3/4 cups white kidney beans (1/2 can)
1-2 tsp marmite
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

Wet Ingredients:
2 cups cold water
2 tbs vegan Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup steak sauce
2 tbs catsup
2 tbs vegetable oil

Boiling Liquid:
5 cups boiling water
1/3 cup catsup
1/3 cup soy sauce
5 tsp Better than Bouillon, No-Beef Flavor
5 tsp browning sauce

Ingredient Notes:

• Use enought bouillon for 5 cups of broth. I use Better than Bouillon, but any will do.
• Marmite really makes a difference, but if you don't want or can't find marmite, use bouillon mix or powder instead.

For the dry mix, thoroughly mash the beans with a fork, then mix the marmite into the beans. Then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Use your fingers to mix the ingredients into the beans to form a sort of meal. Combine the wet ingredients and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir to combine into a dough. Knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough becomes somewhat elastic. Cover with a damp cloth Set aside for 30-60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the pot you intend to use in the oven while it preheats. Kneed the dough for another 5 minutes. Separate into 4 balls and wrap each ball with cheesecloth and tie off with butcher's string. Combine the boiling liquid ingredients (make sure the water is boiling hot) in the preheated pot. Add the seitan balls. If the balls are not submerged in liquid, add some more boiling liquid. Bake, covered in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and remove the seitan from the liquid.

You can store the roasts in the refrigerator or freezer, along with enough boiling liquid to cover. It freezes well or keeps in the refrigerator for about a week.

12 Servings: 178 cal (3g fat, 16g carbs, 22g protein)