Stuffed Seitan Roast

Make stuffed seitan roast with savory mushroom-cranberry dressing wrapped in an

herbed poultry-flavored seitan roll the centerpiece of your holiday table.

Stuffed Seitan Roast [Vegan]

Ingredients

For the Mushroom-Cranberry Stuffing:

• 1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
• 1 medium carrot, diced (1/2 cup)
• 2 ribs celery, diced (1 cup)
• 1 cup mushrooms, diced into small pieces
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 5 cups bread cubes (about 1-inch square) (I used a whole wheat French loaf and just cut it into cubes, but any bread will do).
• 1- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries or cherries
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

For the Basting Broth:

• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Seitan Roast:

• 1 1/2 cups seitan
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon  ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/3 cup oats (oatmeal)
• 2 tablespoon dried mushrooms or 1 tbsp. mushroom powder
• 1/2 cup aquafaba (liquid reserved from the chickpea can)
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• 1/2 cup chickpeas (be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid from the can)
• 1 cup vegetable broth

Preparation

For the Stuffing:

1. Cut or tear the bread into cubes about roughly 1-inch squares. Place in a bowl or heap on a plate. Set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet or pan to medium and add the onions, carrots and celery. Sauté the vegetables for about 5-8 minutes until they start to soften. Add vegetable broth or water a tablespoon at a time if they begin to stick.
3. Add the diced mushrooms and the spices (thyme, sage, black pepper, cayenne, marjoram) and sauté for another 5 minutes until the mushrooms have released most of their moisture.
4. Turn off the heat. Add the bread cubes and mix them with the rest of the ingredients. Add ½ cup of the broth and mix to moisten the bread cubes.
5. Add the cranberries, walnuts and another ½ cup of the broth. Mix.
6. Add more broth until you have a stuffing that is moist and sticks together. You don’t want it so wet that there is any broth left in the bottom of the pan, but moist enough that you can make a ball with some of it that will hold together.
7. You can just leave the stuffing in the skillet or transfer it to a bowl.

For the Basting Broth:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup vegetable broth, 1 tsp. dried sage, 1 tsp. dried thyme, 1 tsp. dried rosemary, 1 tsp. dried marjoram, ½ tsp. ground black pepper.
2. Keep this handy so you can use it throughout the roasting process.

For the Seitan Roast:

1. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups seitan, 1/3 cup nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon onion powder. Set aside.
2. In a food processor with your sharp blade, add the ⅓ cup oatmeal and 2 Tbsp. dried mushrooms. Process until they break down.
3. Next add the chickpeas, aquafaba and tamari and blend until the chickpeas are broken down. Finally, add the 1 cup vegetable broth and blend until everything is combined.
4. Make a well in the center of the seitan mixture and add the wet ingredients. Combine everything and then, using your hand, knead the dough until it is smooth (you can do this right in the bowl). Knead until the dough will form a ball that is elastic. This means it will not come completely apart if you stretch it a bit with your hands.
5. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
6. Now, fetch the baking dish you will be using. This helps to guide you so that your roll will fit the baking dish. Also gather the stuffing and basting broth so both are within easy reach.
7. Lay the seitan dough on parchment paper or plastic wrap and then cover it with a good length of plastic wrap. Start rolling the dough out. It will be elastic, so don’t get discouraged if it is a bit obstinate. Keep working at it and it will start to take shape. Aim for a length that will fit your pan and a width that is about ½ inch. Try to make the thickness as even as possible so it bakes evenly. Don’t panic if the parchment paper or plastic wrap bunches up a bit (it will). Just readjust as you roll.
8. Once you get the seitan rolled out, remove the top layer of plastic wrap and spoon the dressing over the dough (lengthwise). Leave about 1 inch of the long edges free to help with sealing. Lift the bottom parchment paper (or plastic wrap) you rolled the dough on at one of the lengthwise edges and lift it over so that the edges meet.  Use your fingers to seal the edges. If the dough is stubborn to seal, try adding a tablespoon of the basting broth on one edge of the roll to help the edges stick together.
9. Add 1/4 cup basting broth in the bottom of your baking dish and gently transfer the seitan roll with the sealed edges at the bottom of the pan. Use that bottom layer of parchment paper to help with the transfer. Slowly pour another ⅓ cup of the basting broth over the top of the seitan roast.
10. Cover the baking dish with a tightly fitting lid or cover it tightly in foil. Place the roast in the oven and bake for 25 minutes in the middle of the oven.
11. Remove the roast from the oven and using a spatula, gently flip the roast over in the pan. Add another ⅓ cup of the basting broth, recover and bake the roast for another 20 minutes.
12. The last step, remove the roast from the oven, flip it back over, add the remaining basting broth allow it to bake uncovered for another 15-20 minutes or until most of the broth has absorbed. (Note – if your roast is already browned, recover it with the foil for this last step. If the roast seems too mushy or ‘doughy’ continue baking until it firms up.)

Notes

Cook time accounts for the time needed to bake the seitan roast. Prep time includes making (and cooking) the dressing and all the seitan preparation and rolling. You can substitute white beans (and its liquid) for the chickpeas. Your seitan may be slightly softer, but the results will be the same. Your best bet for reheating is to wrap portions in foil and steam them. This will keep the seitan from drying out and getting hard (and incredibly chewy). If you microwave leftovers, be sure to cover it tightly in plastic. If you happen to end up with leftover dressing after stuffing the roast, simply place it in a small baking dish, cover it with foil and bake it for about 30 minutes along with the roast.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/stuffed-seitan-roast-vegan/