Vegan Haluski & Seitan Pork Steak (German-Inspired, Sugar-Free)

This is an easy to love dish - you have thick, homemade rye noodles covered in the warm juices of pan-fried cabbage and collard greens. Mixed with it are caramelized onions, garlic, mace and sweet, sticky rutabaga. On top of that is fennel-spiced seitan "pork" that has been lightly fried with garlic powder, salt and all sprinkled with a light touch of mace and nutmeg. This is the perfect family dish that can be made into a casserole or each item eaten on its own.

(German Pork Seitan Ingredients)

• 1 cup of Vital Wheat Gluten(3/4 Arrowhead Mills 1/4 Bob's Red Mill)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Fennel Seed
• 1/4 tsp Mace
• Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup Ice Cold Water)

(German Pork Seitan Directions)

• Mix your dry together, including the oil, and then slowly pour the water in until all of the Vital Wheat Gluten flour is gone
• Knead lightly so that the dual-flours and spices can come together, but don't let them become too strong.
• Boil for about 15 minutes with the top on, then remove the top and boil for 15 more minutes.
• Place onto plate to let cool, slice into steaks and pan-fry in a small amount of oil after patting dry.

(Rye Noodles Ingredients)

• 4 cups of Dark Rye Flour
• 6 cups of All-Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp Salt
• Water to mix

(Rye Noodles Directions)

• Mix your dry and then knead your water in until it is a durable dough and no longer soft.
• Knead lightly so that the dual-flours and spices can come together, but don't let them become too strong.
• Place through a pasta roller then roll it through a dye-cut part of the pasta maker (or slice it yourself).
• Coat in flour and boil until they float.
• Pan-fry with your cabbage and serve under your seitan.

(Fried Cabbage Ingredients)

• 3/4 Cubed Rutabega
• 1/2 Sliced Large Cabbage
• 2 thinly Sliced White Onions
• 6 Minced Cloves of Garlic
• Salt, Pepper, Fennel and Mace
• Garlic Powder

(Fried Cabbage Directions)

• First, caramelize your onions in a dry pan then remove
• Boil the rutabaga until it changes color slightly, then add in your onions. Once they soften to being almost forkable - add in your cabbage and seasonings.
• Place a pot top on then wait until it is all cooked.
• Add in your garlic, taste, then take out what you want to pan-fry with the noodles.

Assemble everything together and enjoy!

*Mace can be replaced with nutmeg or allspice in smaller amounts*

All In Your Face

This is a huge and bold combination of Italian spices of seasonings. First, we have the homemade whole-wheat hot dog buns made just a few moments prior to the photo that are so soft and fresh its like eating a cloud made out of love and wheat. Next, we have some fresh rosemary and roasted garlic (Russet Potato) french fries covered in good quality olive oil, and to keep the balance between the two brown carbs I decided to add a nice spinach salad with mushrooms and tomatoes (dressing is optional). But the piece de resistance is the uber-texturized wheat meat, otherwise known as seitan.

Seitan is extremely easy to make, especially if you have some vital wheat gluten on hand (which you will also need for the buns). The brand I used is "Bob's Red Mill" and followed the recipe from this site - www.theppk.com/blog
(just type "Italian sausages" into their search bar if you're unsure of where you're going) and made sure to salt them to my liking (no matter what, seitan can be a bit plain tasting)

After that, I spread roasted garlic onto the still warm buns and placed some caramelized onions with fire-roasted red bell pepper (jarred) on top with a little sriracha. You can use any combination you like, but I always find roasted peppers with caramelized onions are a hard topper to beat for these sausages.

Hot Dog Buns Recipe:

1/8 a cup of Agave Nectar or molasses (I used black-strap molasses)

1/8 a cup of Vital Wheat Gluten

1/2 a tablespoon of Active Dry Yeast

Egg replacer equal to one egg (Ener-G, flax seeds, or chia seeds are fine)

1/2 a teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 a cup of lukewarm water (Too hot can kill the yeast, too cold it won't become active)

1 and 3/4 a cup of 100% Whole Wheat

Combine the water and yeast together and everything else except for the salt. Mix it together until it loosely forms, then add the salt to keep it from killing the yeast and deflating your bread.

After that, lay some flour down onto a wide surface (I used wheat, but All-Purpose should be fine) and place your dough on top of it. Make sure to cover your hands in flour and knead it for about ten minutes, or until it comes together and is slightly elastic. After that, slice the dough into equal proportions and roll them into the shape of hot dog buns. They don't have to be perfect as long as you can get the basic oblong shape. Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet (I used Olive Oil, but vegetable or canola oil should be fine) and let them proof (rise) covered for about an hour.

Meanwhile, heat your oven to 375 degrees and bake your buns for about 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven. You can also brush your buns with a bit of oil or vegan margarine and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top before baking them to give them a nice texture and shine. Take them out after they are browned enough and let them rest on a cool sheet pan or a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Test one to see if its still doughy on the inside and then you can slit them down the middle and stuff them whenever you're ready to enjoy them. Normally I would say that they're better on the first day since they contain no preservatives, but they're so good that they probably won't last a day!

(Recipe makes about six hot dog buns)

Enjoy!

 Signed, 

<3 Bou Shin <3