All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2014
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
~
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
~
I have been very excited lately with a bunch of vegan recipes using store-bought vegan meat products. Despite success with them, I have been intimidated by anything requiring homemade seitan or “nutritional yeast flakes.” Well, mommy grew a pair this weekend & went to the fucking health food store & bought the Goddamned nutritional yeast & some of this stuff:
Here is what Bob’s Red Mill has to say about nutritional yeast (which isn’t YEAST):
“Nutritional yeast is grown on enriched purified cane and beet molasses under carefully controlled conditions. T6635, with the addition of vitamin B12, is an ideal vegetarian support formula and has an appealing cheese flavor. It can be sprinkled over popcorn or salads, added to juice, cereal, smoothies, gravies, soups or casseroles, or used to make sandwich spreads.”
Here is what Wellness Today has to say about nutritional yeast:
Why is it so good for you?
Nutritional yeast is jam-packed with essential vitamins and minerals. In fact, it’s one of the best non-animal sources of folic acid and vitamin B-12. The yellow color of the flakes is a result of their large amount of vitamin B – ½ tbsp. fulfills your entire daily vitamin B needs. In addition to B-12, nutritional yeast is high in 15 different minerals and 18 amino acids. Talk about a super food!
The yeast itself is grown on beets and dehydrated, so don’t let the word “yeast” scare you away. Since it is plant derived and dried out, it’s free of the harmful candida that can wreck havoc on your digestive system. Think of it as the kind of yeast your body will love!
Who can benefit from it?
The easy answer is vegans since nutritional yeast is such a good source of the vitamins and minerals usually found in animal meat and dairy products like cheese and milk. If you are as carnivorous as they come, I encourage you to still give nutritional yeast a try. It’s a great way to reap the benefits of meat without having to eat it everyday. Chances are your body and your wallet will thank you!
What can I use it for?
My good friend Shannon, who happens to be my healthy living guru, is notorious for her love of nutritional yeast. So her answer to this question would be – anything and everything! Nutritional yeast actually doesn’t have a really strong flavor, but it is slightly salty and reminiscent of Parmesan cheese. It packs a great punch of umami, meaning it brings all other flavors in the dish together in delicious harmony. My favorite way to use nutritional yeast is sprinkling it on popcorn for a guilt-free snack:
________________________________________________________________________
See those ribs above? NOT MEAT! They were made from vital wheat gluten (sans nutritional yeast)! The recipe is HERE.
Wowed by my own success with those (and with how easy they were), I decided to try a Greek gyro sandwich – typically made with lamb. The gyro was just as easy if not a total show-stopper. I mean, those ribs set the bar pretty high – so do not think the gyro was a failure – because it wasn’t. It was awesome! And I have lots of leftover “spiced lamb” to experiment with over the next few days.
So – once you have the vital wheat gluten & nutritional yeast (and the tahini) in hand – the rest of the ingredients are pretty run of the mill. This will make a little loaf in a loaf pan (4×8?) – that is about an inch thick. Enough for 5-6 gyros – or for several recipes. Stay tuned!
My tzatziki recipe I used can be found HERE and I used some of the toum (garlic paste), too.
Vegan Gyro
INGREDIENTS
Pita or naan
Tzatziki sauce (optional)
Garlic paste (optional)
Garnish options: lemon or lime wedge, sliced onion, sliced tomato, shredded lettuce and maybe a quinoa tabbouleh salad – as seen above!
for the seitan
1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
4 TBS nutritional yeast
1/4 onion – minced
1 clove garlic – minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp black pepper
2 DROPS (like tears drops – because this shit gets overpowering FAST) liquid smoke (optional)
1 TBS tahini
2 TBS ketchup
3/4 cup water (or more if necessary)
DIRECTIONS
for the seitan
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, I pulsed the onion, garlic, tahini, ketchup, nutritional yeast flakes, liquid smoke, water & dry spices together but you could do this in a large bowl.
Or – mix all the wet ingredients (onion, garlic, liquid smoke, water, ketchup, tahini) in one bowl & the dry (wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, basil, oregano & pepper) in another & combine them. It comes together fast & looks like raw hamburger – if hamburger was doughy.
Grease a loaf pan & press this shit in there, COVER IT WITH FOIL & bake it for about an hour. Or just kinda shape it on some foil, wrap it up & bake it.
for the gyro
When you are ready to make the sandwich, slice off some seitan & fry it up until warmed through.
Grab your wrapping device (Pita or naan, silly! I didn’t say RAPPING device you crazy-eyed MC’s out there!) – and layer the things on it you choose – like garlic paste, seitan, onion, lettuce, tomato & tzatziki. Squeeze a lemon on there if you are feeling all summer fresh! Then get your grub on – all vegan-style & shit!
Pingback: Easy Vegan Spicy Lamb Curry | Delightful-Delicious-Delovely
This looks amazing… definitely going to try it ASAP!
LikeLike
Mine did not rise as much as yours, do I need to knead it more like most seitan recipes? It smells and tastes good but only about an inch in height.
LikeLike
Mine did not rise at all & was also only an inch thick. See the ribs? That is the total thickness. It should be dense – not light enough to rise.
LikeLike
I’ve gotta give a big four hooves up to this zebra-friendly recipe: I actually made it without opposable thumbs! And the stripes on the pita were a gratifying plus. Thanks so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Week 9: Vegan Gyro and Tzatziki recipes (Gluten-Free Tempeh & Seitan versions) | Harder Faster Stronger Wheels
These are the shit! I mean, the good shit. You are right, the ingredients went together fast when you use a food processor, which I did. Baked up beautifully with nice dark edges. Sliced it up and used a grill pan to get those lovely grill marks. About 3 mins per side. I had both pita and naan, and I ate one of each, and I probably like the pita a little more. Being a Chicago girl now living outside Boulder, Colorado, and being plant-based for the past 2 years, I have been home sick for some Gyros, and the way I mowed these bitches down, I can happily pat my full belly and say dam, I’m really satisfied. That scratch has been itched. I did use store bought tzatziki though. This is the 2nd seitan recipe of yours I’ve tried, and I gotta say, they’re excellent! Keep up the great work and thanks so much for sharing!! Much love from Colorado!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow!!!! THANK YOU! I get very little feedback – especially on these more “labor intensive” recipes! Thank you for making me feel like I am not wasting my time!
LikeLike
I am new to your site, but you will definitely be hearing more from me as I try more of your recipes. I dig the way you write/blog, and I didn’t even realize you are a movie star until someone told me, so this is pretty kick ass that you are also a recipe blogger, and you responded to me; thanks man! P.S. I made your caprese salad too, including the Caviaroli (love the chili flavor)! Excellent find sista! I loved it
LikeLike
Thank you! If you enjoy my writing – why not read my dirty, comic novel? http://www.BathingBook.com I promise – it is HILARIOUS!
LikeLike
Love the homemade seitan! This is delicious.
LikeLike
Thanks!!!
LikeLike
I’m scared, but I’m going to try making seitan this weekend. Liquid smoke makes me gag. Do you think smoked paprika would make a good substitute?
LikeLike
Liquid smoke can really be vile. Omit it and either add nothing or a pinch of smoked paprika. The seitan neednt be flavorful as you typically want it to be enhanced by the sauces and garnishes and other things in the recipe. Let me know how it turns out!
LikeLike
It was scrumptious. Going in the rotation.
LikeLike
Thanks!!
LikeLike
This recipe is amazing! I made it 3 times in the last two weeks and am looking forward to trying your bbq seitan recipe soon. I do not have a food processor, so I used a blender for the wet ingredients and then mixed wet and dry in a regular medium-sized bowl…worked perfect thank you for sharing, I also love the garlic sauce recipe 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you so much! It is really gratifying to get good feedback! Thanks for taking the time!
LikeLike
Thank you! This recipe turned out so wonderfully succulent. It really gave me the satisfaction of indulgence. Your tour recipe melts me! Keep up the great work.
LikeLike
Aw! Thank you! I love hearing that recipes worked well!
LikeLike
Pingback: it’s all greek to me. – the sugarapple
Can I freeze seitan ? If yes, for how long?
LikeLike
I cannot imagine why not. I’d say 3 months is safe.
LikeLike
Literally just DEVOURED this!!!!! First time ever making seitan (and I’ve been vegan for 1 1/2 years! Crazy!). We loved this so much, even my carnivore boyfriend thought it was amazing. Thanks for sharing!!!
LikeLike
Awesome! Thanks for the kind feedback!!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
LikeLike
Really excited to find this seitan and gyro recipe. I’ve made seitan before but found the recipes uninspiring because they relied on a well flavored broth for seasoning when the seitan is cooked. I just knew there had to be a recipe out that that flavored the seitan, itself. I’ve searched through many cookbooks. At last, here it is. Thank you!
LikeLike
Yay! Let me know how you like it & check out my channel on Youtube – http://www.VideoVegan.com.
LikeLike
I’m not plant-based, but my daughter is. I saw this and wanted to try it as a family meal. It was fabulous. I used my own version of tzatziki, using yogurt (silk?). We didn’t even miss the feta. Thank you for adding to my vegan arsenal for family dinners.
LikeLike
Amazing!!! Thank you for telling me!
LikeLike
Pingback: Unboxing of Nutribullet “Veggie Bullet” plus demo and first look. | Cooking Crisb
Mine came out disgusting and spongy, I’m not sure what I did wrong. It also was extremely salty and bland.
LikeLike
That is strange. This is one of my most popular recipes. I wonder what went wrong…
LikeLike
This was amazing! I made it and even my meat eating mother loved it. I used my old ‘gyro brick’ on the seitan to get it compressed during cooking so it sliced more like meat. I also put it to cook on my smoking grill at 350, super smokey and yummy. Thanks!
LikeLike
Thank YOU!
LikeLike
Thank you for this recipe, I followed the directions and it came out great! Easy and delicious… Same for the garlic paste, where’s it been all my life ?! Can’t wait to try your ‘ribs’ recipe too.
LikeLike
So glad you liked it!!!
LikeLike
While I absolutely respect your right to say what you want on your website, I do think using “sh!!” in the recipe material is not necessary, and, frankly, crude. But again I say I respect your right to say what you want to on your website.
Thank you for the recipe. I absolutely love Gyros and look forward to this taste treat. I make it sans pita/naan, as I am not too fond of them. In fact, I just had a scrumptious thought: Tortilla. Make it a Gyro burrito!
Again, thank you for the recipe.
LikeLike
As you said – it is my site & I speak the way I like here. I am 53 years old & am not really open to being chastised by strangers. That said –
I hope you enjoy the recipe.
LikeLike
No chastise meant.
I’m 67 years old, and I speak the way I like too. I have spoken publically for over 50 years in many venues. And your post, whether you know it or not, *is* public.
I learned at a very early age that there are times when “swearing” may be appropriate, and can even be effective, and there are other times when it is not. I remember when I was ~20 years old, I used “damn” (I wouldn’t even *think* of using the word under discussion here!) as an explicative to my mother…she made it very clear to me that that was the wrong thing to do!
Do I swear? Certainly, but I make every attempt to not swear in public. To me, and to many others, it just shows a lack of vocabulary of the person speaking. I do enough to give the impression that I’m dumb! I don’t need to confirm it! 😉
You believe it is appropriate, I don’t. And regardless to what you believe, it is NOT effective. It adds nothing to the communication of the idea; it just degrades the entire post.
This is also not a chastisement, it is just fact.
Lawrence
LikeLike
I was hoping I could edit my long post of just a few minutes ago, but I can’t.
I looked at the sentence in which contains the word in discussion here, and it would have been more effective to say, “(like tears drops – because this gets overpowering FAST). The word did nothing to the idea, except that you called liquid smoke )(*&^. The em-dash was great, all caps on the word “fast” was extremely effective. And tear (sic) drops was also extremely effective, as was the word overpowering! However, the word in question did not add anything to the idea, it just pushed it down into the gutter. Every word in that sentence was effective, except for….
Lawrence
Again no chastisement meant.
LikeLike
I agree with Lawrence about language used. While I do use that language at the gym and here and there….it just doesn’t work when describing food prep.
LikeLike
And there are plenty of other blogs you can go to. I fucking swear. I am an adult & not soliciting advice from strangers. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This gyro recipe IS the SHIT! My dad isn’t even vegan and he loves it. He said it could fool anybody, so Thank You so much for posting this. All your recipes are great, but this is my favorite!
LikeLike
Aw! Thank you! SO GLAD you liked it!
LikeLike
Pingback: Assignment 56: Guyana – Wooden Spoon Wanderer
We made this yesterday but omitted the ketchup (significant other cannot have sugar). Turned out great! Now off to check out your other recipes.
LikeLike
Yay! Thank you!
LikeLike
Thanks for the recipe and the laugh 😆 I’ll be making it this weekend!!
Every time I read “this shit” or “some shit” or “slam the shit” I about lost my shit😂 Kudos
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLike
I make this all the time – it is my go-to vegan gyro recipe. Everyone loves it! This shit is the bomb! Thanks!
LikeLike
Aw! THANKS!
LikeLike
Truly AMAZING!! I love gyros when I can find them and this recipe captured the essence of the lamb perfectly. At first I tried it without pan frying the “meat” because it was warm out of the oven. But when I pan-fried the “meat” of the next one, POW; it was instantly lamb-like in flavor and texture. OMG. Wait until my wife gets off from work. Thanks!!!
LikeLike
Amazing! Thanks for telling me!
LikeLike
I just have to say that I was so delighted to find this recipe! I had been craving gyros but hadn’t found a way to recreate them. I loved this recipe and I have a batch in right now! I wanted to thank you for creating a simple and straightforward recipe with no complicated/hard to find ingredients. I wrapped mine in some oiled foil and cooked in the air fryer at 400 for 40 minutes, then I sliced and tossed in a light coating of olive oil and put in the air fryer for another 2 minutes to get that oily-juicy texture when eating the gyro. Absolutely perfect! Thanks again for this gem!
LikeLike
Oh, yay! So glad you liked it! Thanks for the good feedback!
LikeLike
I’ll be making these tonight! Thanks for the recipe!
LikeLike
This was by far the best gyro recipe ever! I changed up the spices a bit, based on my Mom’s gyro recipe that has real meat, but other than that, it came out perfecto! Easy peasy too! Thank you so much more sharing this!
LikeLike
Yay! So glad it worked out!
LikeLike
Anyway to make a gluten free vegan gyro?
LikeLike
I don’t know. Sorry.
LikeLike
I have made this before and it is amazing! Is there anything I can sub the ketchup or tahini with? I dont want the added sugar or oil. Thanks!
LikeLike
Pingback: Vegan Gyro (with Homemade Seitan) & Tzatziki Sauce – Silke Eberhardt
Pingback: Vegan Gyro (with Homemade Seitan) & Tzatziki Sauce – Sandwich
This looks fantastic. How long do you bake it for?
LikeLike
An hour.
LikeLike
This is now my go to seitan recipe. Came out great both in a bowl by hand and in the food processor. LOVE IT!
LikeLike
Yay! So happy it worked out!
LikeLike
Reblogged this on A Deaf Songbird Sings.
LikeLike
Pingback: Seitan Gyros – Maggie Eats