Holy Seitan Stroganoff, I'm Gettin' Hitched!

Wow- that's the corniest title for a blog post I've ever created. But the reality is that I've got two things on my mind right now:


1) My impending November nuptials to this guy

and


2) the Seitan Mushroom Stroganoff I made last night.

The fact is, both Steve and the Stroganoff have a lot in common. Both begin with the lovely letter S. Both are unbelievably comforting. Both took some risk and a leap of faith for me to become involved with. Both are deliciously satisfying. Both remind me of home and family. And both are vegan (yes, Steve finally made the transition to becoming vegan. I am so proud of him!).

But sadly, only one of these loves will be taking my hand in marriage come November. As much as I'd be overjoyed to devote myself to Seitan Stroganoff for the rest of my life (which I guess in theory I could), the world of vegan food is too vast and too yummy to only focus on this one delectable, yet singular dish.

So, I choose to devote today's post to Seitan Stroganoff, a dish that speaks to my heart and stomach so beautifully.

Yesterday, I was in the mood for comfort food - I think between the crazy wedding planning and the immediate fall weather we've been having in Brooklyn, it makes a lot of sense to crave something warm and homey. After brainstorming a bit, I had the idea to create my own Seitan Stroganoff, but I had no recipe to base it own. Oh sure, I know there are plenty of vegan stroganoff recipes out there - I just wanted to try and figure it out on my own (in honor of my month-long Vegan Mofo III Challenge). I picked up a few ingredients, experimented with them in my kitchen, and the result was a creamy comfort food which is perfect for autumn.

My inspiration for the sauce came from Bryanna Clark Grogan's marinade for her Breast of Tofu. If you like traditional American cooking, check this domestic southern goddess out. She rules.

Seitan Mushroom Stroganoff



Ingredients for the Seitan and Mushrooms:
1 package WestSoy Vegetarian Stir Fry Strips,
pulled apart into chunks
2-3 c. baby portabella or cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp. Pastry flour
(un-bleached, all-purpose flour works great too)
2 tbsp. organic, expeller-pressed canola oil

Ingredients for the Sauce:
1 1/2 c. water
1/4 c. mushroom soy sauce
(regular soy sauce can work too)
1/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. onion powder
3 tbsp. Earth Balance Margarine
3 tbsp. Pastry Flour, 
whisked with 1-2 tbsp. cold water

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a medium-sized pan on medium heat. Add seitan chunks and cook about 5-7 minutes, or until good and browned.  Once browned, sprinkle 2 tbsp. flour onto seitan and toss in pan to coat. Add mushrooms, toss with seitan and cook for 1 minute.
2. While seitan is cooking, mix water, soy sauce, spices, and nutritional yeast in a bowl. Pour wet mix over seitan and mushrooms. Allow to cook on high-heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add margarine in small slices to the pan, and cook until margarine melts. Stir in the flour-water mixture slowly and continuously to thicken. Be careful not to dump the whole mixture in too quickly, or the stroganoff will become way too stiff. Once the stroganoff resembles a creamy, gravy-like texture, it's ready. I topped the dish with more nutiritional yeast, because I'm a huge fan of the stuff. Totally up to you.

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