DDD Ep. #6 – Vegan Roast Beef (Steak) with Sauteed Onions & Mushrooms & Roasted Heirloom Carrots

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2017

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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.

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As you may or may not know – I started a Youtube channel last month.  I have almost twenty recipes posted there on:

Click HERE to go to the channel & check it out.

The roast beef you see here is my latest endeavor.  Here is the video.

Vegan Roast Beef (Steak) with Sauteed Onions & Mushrooms & Roasted Heirloom Carrots

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten (or just enough to get a proper dough texture)

1 TBS caraway seeds (ground in a mill or with a mortar & pestle)

1 TBS fennel seeds (ground in a mill or with a mortar & pestle)

2 TBS freeze-dried shallots or granulated onions (or minced raw shallots)

1 TBS paprika

S&P to taste (go LIGHT with the salt)

1 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup olive oil

2 TBS vinegar (red, white, balsamic – your call)

2 TBS molasses

1 cooked beet pureed with 1/2 cup veggie stock

A dry rub of your choice (or simply a blend of dry herbs)

Bottled marinade of your choice mixed with equal part water OR veggie stock with a few bay leaves

Cheesecloth & kitchen twine

1 onion – sliced

2 TBS brown sugar

8 oz mushrooms – sliced

1 bunch heirloom carrots

Additional olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 425

Whisk the first 6 (dry) ingredients together in a bowl.  In another bowl, whisk the stock, oil, vinegar, molasses & pureed beet.  Blend the wet & dry ingredients – adding vital wheat gluten or more stock until you have a ground beef texture.

Roll in your dry rub & wrap tightly in cheesecloth – tying off the ends.

Bring your marinade to  boil, reduce to a simmer & add the beef to it.  Simmer for an hour – turning once in the middle.  Be careful you do not boil your marinade away.  Add water or stock – if you need to.

Heat olive oil in a pan.  Remove the cheesecloth & pan sear the beef on both sides.  Set aside.  You can slice this thinly & make sandwiches or – go for the steak option.

In the same pan, heat some butter or olive oil & saute the onions until soft.  Add 2 TBS brown sugar & saute until the onions become golden.  Add the mushrooms & saute until they are done to your taste.  Season with S&P.

If you are doing “steaks,” cut them & sear them on both sides in the mushroom pan.

Toss the carrots in olive oil and S&P & roast 10-15 minutes (or until they begin to turn golden) – turning them once in the middle.

Serve!

Vegan Roasted Butternut, Kabucha & Delicata Squash with Pomegranate, Mint, Balsamic Glaze & Roasted Pepitas

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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I had managed to collect a variety of squash with no real plans for them.  Today – as I often do – I looked around for inspiration & came up with this.  It is gorgeous & light & delicious and can be served warm or room temperature.    I have leftover roasted squash & pepitas & if you end up with leftovers, too – consider cutting the skins off the squash & make a salad!  Toss with arugula & pomegranate seeds & pepitas & a balsamic vinaigrette (adding goat or feta – if you are a cheese eater) – OR – make a pizza with slices of squash atop a crust with some mozzarella (vegan or not – up to you) and then top the cooked pizza with arugula & pomegranate seeds & pepitas.  Lots of ways to use all these pretty colors & flavors.

This is not a difficult recipe.  The most painstaking parts are seeding the pomegranate (or you could buy pomegranate seeds) and roasting the pepitas (you could buy roasted pepitas).  It is far more satisfying to do it all from scratch.

I used three kinds of squash.  You can use all one kind or choose different kinds – but use ones that all have thick skins so the cook at the same rate.

Speaking of which – I tossed the seeds from all 3 squash into the same bowl to clean & roasted them together.  In the future – I will keep the kabucha seeds separate – as they are far larger than the others.  I will put the smaller seeds on one cooking sheet & the larger on another – so I can take each out of the oven at the rate they are ready.

The ratio of ingredients here is kind of up to you.  You might like more or less glaze, more or less pomegranate or pepitas or mint – so – assemble yours to taste.

 

Roasted Pepitas

Seeds from the squash

Fine salt

Olive oil or cooking spray (I used olive oil spray)

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to about 325.

Get a large bowl of water & put the messy seed mix in there.  Separate the seeds from the flesh & the seeds all float to the top.  Use a slotted spoon & get those suckers outta there.

Boil some water & add a tsp of salt.  Lower the heat, add the seeds &  simmer the seeds, uncovered, for about 10 minutes & then drain them.

I let them set out to dry a bit & then tossed them with just a hint of olive oil or some cooking spray.  If you have two wildly different sized seeds – cook them on separate sheets so you can take the smaller ones out sooner than the larger.

Spread them on a cooking sheet in as thin a layer as you can – trying to minimize overlap so all the seeds get heat equally.  Sprinkle with a little salt & bake for about 10 minutes.

Take them out & stir them around.

Now continue roasting in 5 minute increments because you DO NOT want to burn these.  They are done when they are just starting to look golden but the real test is how they chew.  So – cool a few off each time you test them & eat them.  They are done when they chew easily & are nice & crunchy!

Save extras in a jar.

 

Vegan Roasted Butternut, Kabucha & Delicata Squash with Pomegranate, Mint, Balsamic Glaze & Roasted Pepitas

6-10 as a side – depending on the size of your squash & appetites

INGREDIENTS

3 squash of your choice (I used butternut, kabucha & delicata)

Roasted seeds from your squash (recipe to roast them above)

Balsamic glaze (store bought or homemade – recipe:  Simply boil a balsamic until it reduces by about 50-75% and has a thick syrupy texture.  It really does reduce a LOT so – if it reduces to too little for your squash – just reduce some more.  If it gets too thick – add a few drops of water.)

Pomegranate seeds

Fresh mint – chopped

Olive oil or cooking spray (I used olive oil spray)

S&P

Parchment paper optional but it makes clean-up so easy!

Heat the oven to 425.

Seed the squash & put the seeds in a bowl of water.  If there is a large disparity of size – separate them in different bowls by size.  I did mine altogether but I risked burning the smallest seeds waiting for the large kabocha seeds to cook.  It worked out – but I would still separate them next time.

Cut the squash into 1″ to 1.5″ inch slices.  Arrange on a cooking sheet.  Toss with olive oil (or spray with cooking spray on both sides) – and add some S&P.

Roast about 30 minutes – flipping once – or until they are soft & beginning to caramelize or brown a bit.

If you are using homemade glaze – make that while the squash cook.  Simply boil a balsamic until it reduces by about 50-75% and has a thick syrupy texture.  It really does reduce a LOT so – if it reduces to too little for your squash – just reduce some more.  If it gets too thick – add a few drops of water.  If you like a lot of glaze – start with at least a cup or more before you reduce it.

Seed your pomegranate.

When the squash is done, arrange it on a platter.  Drizzle glaze & then sprinkle the pomegranate, pepitas & mint on top.

Gorgeous & healthy.  Wow the villagers with this shit!

Vegan Crispy & Creamy Roasted Potatoes

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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Potatoes.  Is there anything more amazing?  Fried.  Mashed.  Roasted.  Baked.  Stuffed.  Inexpensive.  Yummy!

These guys today are crispy on the outside but creamy to the point of melting in your mouth on the inside.  I, personally, think thyme is an under-appreciated herb – and fresh thyme is critical here.  I used Earth Balance vegan butter & truffle bouillon – but any flavor stock will do.  *NOTE: Cut the potatoes thicker than I did & you will have more distinction between the crispy, crusty edges & the creamy centers.  This is an easy dish & a lovely side to almost anything.  I pan-fried the leftovers to restore both heat & crispiness.

Vegan Crispy & Creamy Roasted Potatoes

Feeds 4-6 as a side – depending on appetites

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 to 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled or not – I did not peel them) Yukon Golds are creamier than other white potatoes but other potatoes could work – especially naturally creamy sweet potatoes.

4 TBS vegan butter

2 TBS fresh thyme (extra for garnish)

1 cup vegan stock

1-4 garlic cloves – minced (optional)

S&P

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.   Slice the potatoes 1/2 to 1-inch thick – depending on how how much creamy center you like.  I cut mine at about 1/2 inch – and I think I will go thicker next time. Cut & toss the round ends away so that all your slices are flat on both sides.

Melt the butter with the thyme & add some s&p.  Toss with the potatoes  Lay the potatoes in a single layer on a metal cooking sheet with a rim.  Roast for 20-22 minutes – depending on thickness – until the bottoms begin browning upward.  Flip them & return to roast another 10-15 minutes.  Flip them again & then add a thin layer of stock (you might not need it all) & the garlic (if using).  Cook another 10-15 minutes or until the brother has reduced a bit & until the potatoes are cooked through & the tops & bottoms are golden.

Serve with more fresh thyme.  The sooner you serve them – the more they will retain the crispy/creamy contrast.  You can drizzle some warm stock on them, too, but that might reduce crispiness.  Still – it will enhance creaminess – so it is your call.  Add more S&P.  Devour!

Annie & Dan Shannon’s Vegan Yankee Pot Roast Dinner

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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So – I got this awesome cookbook you see above and I am very excited to present to you the first recipe that I tried from it – their Yankee Pot Roast Dinner.  The book is full of gorgeous photos & easy to follow recipes but it was the image below that set my mouth to watering immediately.

That looks so much like meat!   It looks so warm & comforting and VEGAN!  So – I made it today.  Easy!  Very easy.  (Please note – the photo above is from the Shannons’ cookbook – the rest are pictures of my effort to recreate that.)  I only made two modifications to the recipe – in that I used truffle bouillon rather than vegan beef (because I had it) and I added some Earth Balance butter to the top as it baked because it wasn’t browning the way I wanted it to.   Oh – and I used a full pound of baby potatoes which was a good thing because I nearly ate them all as the “roast” baked.  This is a delicious recipe & the leftovers could make a nice sandwich.  To those unfamiliar with meat made from vital wheat gluten – the texture is more like a dense stuffing than any real red meat but the flavors are earthy & aromatic and, ultimately, very satisfying.  Loads of gravy might be a nice addition – so if you have a favorite vegan gravy recipe – maybe whip some up.  Or use my VERY easy vegan gravy.

Annie & Dan Shannon’s Vegan Yankee Pot Roast Dinner

INGREDIENTS

Above – in the book.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the over to 400 degrees.

The instructions for the vegetables can be seen in the book above.

To make the roast – in a large bowl – combine all the ingredients from the vital wheat gluten through to the sage.  In another bowl – whisk the remaining three liquid ingredients together.  Blend the wet & dry ingredients by hand until you have a spongy, springy ball of dough.  Form the dough into a round, flat loaf  & carefully place it on top of the vegetables so it is slightly covered by the boiling broth (my broth was not deep enough) – cover it & simmer it for about 15 minutes.

Add a ladle of broth to a separate casserole dish & carefully transfer your roast into it using oven mitts & spatulas.  Bake the roast for about 15-20 minutes.  The book says, “Monitor the roast, basting it a few times with the broth while it’s baking.  Remove the roast from the oven once it develops a crispy golden-brown crust, 15-20 minutes.”

I cooked mine for closer to an hour & added vegan butter to the top of it 20 minutes before I took it out – to aid in browning.

Serve with the vegetables & few ladles of broth.

I found this recipe to be very easy, my house smells like Thanksgiving & I have a big casserole dish of yummy, vegan comfort food.  I cannot wait to try another recipe from the book.

If you want to buy the book – it is available many places – including Amazon.

The authors can be followed at:

www.MeettheShannons.com 

Vegan Foods = Joy! on Facebook

@AJShannon on Twitter

@MeettheShannons on Instagram

Roasted Beet and Chickpea Salad with Dill and Arugula and Lemon Vinaigrette

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2014

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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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.

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I love beets!  I love lemon!  I love arugula!  I LOVE THIS SALAD!  If you are vegan – either just lose the feta cheese or add a vegan alternative.  There is enough flavor here that the cheese is just a layer of flavor but the salad doesn’t depend on it.

I roasted the beets days ahead & just used them yesterday.  You can do this, too, or roast them as needed.  I like having them in the fridge – ready & waiting for me to be inspired to use them.  I made this dressing fresh but most any tart dressing would work.

Lemon Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup olive oil

juice of one lemon

1 1/2 tsp Dijon

1 garlic clove – minced

S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS

Blend the ingredients & then add more lemon or oil or S&P – to suit your taste.

Roasted Beet and Chickpea Salad with Dill and Arugula

INGREDIENTS

The ratio here is really up to you but here are my suggestions:

2 large beets

1/2 (15 oz) can chickpeas – drained & rinsed

A few cups of arugula

1/2 cucumber – sliced thin

1 cup feta – crumbled

Fresh dill

DIRECTIONS

Wash the beets & wrap them in foil with a little olive oil drizzled on them.   Roast, wrapped in foil, at 400 degrees for about an hour.  Allow to cool & peel.  Cut into bite-sized chunks & set aside.

Make the vinaigrette.

Now just layer your ingredients as you like & drizzle with dressing.  Lots of freshly cracked pepper adds a nice touch.  Eat it up & sit back & think about the fact that your pee will likely be pink tomorrow.  🙂

Orange Chipotle Beef “Barbacoa” Tacos for the Slow Cooker

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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OK – first of all – I put “barbacoa” in quotes because I cannot get a definitive explanation of the term.  Some loosely define it as the origin of the word “barbecue” and that the meat must be slow cooked over an open flame or buried with coals.  Other explanations involve what part of the cow the meat is from – and some even say it must include goat brains.  While I used none of this

and, frankly, can’t imagine eating that no matter WTF it tastes like – I used this

which was about 9 pounds of chuck roast that I got at the AWESOME Super King for $3 a pound!  I sure wish I ate meat because, if you know where to buy it, it is outrageously economical.

Anyway – I marinated the meat for two days, grilled it to a nice char on a barbecue & then slow cooked it overnight.  I served this at my Cinco de Mayo party.  I also served:

Grilled shrimp tacos

Queso

BlackBeans

Yellow Rice

Hominy & Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Guacamole

Salsa

52 tacos (half potato & half jalapeno) from a place called House Of Tacos (because I had a Groupon)

My Chipotle Lime Roasted Potatoes

Every possible taco topping

And my friend Rose’s watermelon & feta salad

I had WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much food!!!

More food got sent home with people than was consumed all day.  Still – two things were repeatedly commented upon: this beef recipe & my Hominy & Cauliflower Mac & Cheese (which I will post at a later date).  My boyfriend Miles said that this beef might be his favorite thing I have ever made.  I cannot vouch for it because I do not eat meat but it fucking smelled incredible!  It isn’t a difficult recipe but it does take some planning ahead – what with two days (not really necessary) of marinating & an additional overnight in a slow cooker – plus grilling in between.  The grilling is critical, I think, for the smokiness it adds & because it cooks off a good amount of the yucky fat on the meat.  This recipe if for a large slow cooker quantity of meat (I cooked 9 lbs of chuck roast).  You can reduce the recipe or, once it is done, freeze a bunch for another time.  This meat might go nicely on a pizza or in a Mexican-style lasagna or on pasta.  Some folks were dumping queso on it which seemed to me to be very like a Mexican Philly cheese steak.  So – this meat would make a great sandwich, too.  Don’t be shy!  Experiment!

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Orange Chipotle Beef “Barbacoa” Tacos

INGREDIENTS

9 pounds of chuck roast or brisket

For the marinade

2 12oz cans orange juice concentrate

10 cloves garlic

1 12oz can chipotle peppers in adobo

1 TBS dry oregano

2 TBS cumin

For the slow cooker

1 12oz can orange juice concentrate

1 7oz can chipotle peppers in adobo – minced

1-2 bunches of fresh cilantro – minced

1 red onion – diced

6 cloves garlic – minced

1 TBS salt

juice & zest of 4 limes

6-8 cups stock

GARNISH – juice of 1/2 – 1 orange & 1 TBS chipotle powder (powder – not more peppers)

TACO ingredients – beyond the corn tortillas – the rest is a matter of taste.  Use any of the following: shredded lettuce, shredded red or green cabbage, chopped tomatoes, chopped red onion, chopped scallions, sliced radishes, shredded carrots, guacamole, salsa, grated cheese, canned green chilies, diced jalapeno, chopped cilantro, Mexican crema or sour cream & hot sauce.

DIRECTIONS

For the marinade

Blend the marinade ingredients in a food processor.  Coat your meat & store in the fridge in some kind of Tupperware for as long as possible.  I marinated mine two days before grilling it & putting it in the slow cooker.

For the grill

I am no grill master.  I have an old Weber & just heated the coals until they were ready & flopped the marinated meat on the rack.  I grilled it, turning it often, until it was fairly black on the outside.  How cooked it is inside doesn’t matter.  You will cook the bejesus out of it in the slow cooker next.

For the slow cooker

Add the meat to your slow cooker.  Add all the slow cooker ingredients (which – minus the stock – you can puree in a food processor or blender) & cook on high for a solid 4-6 hours.  I then left mine on low overnight.

The next day, take the meat from the slow cooker and, in a bowl or on a cutting board or in the sink on a cutting board (that is what I did), shred the meat up with two forks or a knife & fork.  Toss any obvious chunks of fat (or feed them to your dog!).  When all the meat is shredded, pour the remaining juices out of the slow cooker (maybe through a colander to catch smaller bits of meat) and then return the wet beef to the slow cooker.  Squeeze the juice of 1/2 – 1 orange into the meat & add the chipotle powder.  Stir to blend.  Leave on warm – stirring occasionally – until ready to serve.  If it gets dry – just add a tiny bit of water or stock – but this shouldn’t be an issue.  Mine stayed moist all day.

Assemble tacos & devour!

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