Thursday, May 29, 2014

Throwback Thursday! Breakfast Style Chicken Fried Seitan Steak Smothered in Sausage Gravy



Throwin' back this Thursday to 500 Vegan Recipes, Celine and my first book together.   It's fun to look back and see what VegNews had to say about the book way back when!  And as Celine and I just started working on our fourth book together (Can you believe it's already time to write The Complete Guide To Vegan Food Substitutions, Volume 2?) it was predicted the two of us would go on to write recipes together for a long time to come.

“The collaborative effort of two established bloggers, 500 Vegan Recipes provides curious chefs with an impressive range of recipes, from classic to contemporary. Celine Steen, creator of the popular blog ‘Have Cake Will Travel,’ teams up with seasoned cookbook author, blogger (‘Just the Food’), and colleague Joni Marie Newman to deliver everything from hearty breakfasts to every type of savory entrée imaginable. The quickest of flips through the 500-page guide will have you salivating with tempting titles that turn run-of-the-mill dishes into a memorable affair, such as Pumpkin Tofu Scramble and Peanut Brittle Cookies. Helpful icons indicate gluten- and soy-free dishes, low-fat recipes, and recipes for time-crunched cooks. With a spacious layout and 20 well-organized chapters, 500 is easy to navigate—the difficulty lies in choosing a recipe. … A successful first venture for the duo, it certainly won’t be the last." —VegNews Magazine

It is a book that, sadly, has no pictures. But, we do have a flickr group set up for it!)  But what it DOES have is 500 recipes, and this little gem is just one of them (even though it is technically two).

Breakfast Style Chicken Fried Seitan Steak 
Smothered in Sausage Gravy
This is a breakfast version of chicken fried steak. The coating on the steaks is a sweet and savory crispy crunchy coating. Serve up with a side of scrambled eggs, the same ones from the Hearty Breakfast Bowl and the gravy is the White Sausage Gravy, soon to be posted. Indeed this is a time consuming recipe, but you can make the seitan cutlets ahead of time and fry them up when you are ready for breakfast. I would be lying if these steaks didn’t make for a nummy breakfast sandwich as well. Just pile one in between 2 pieces of toast and slather it with gravy. If your feeling extra adventurous, add a couple of slices of Hickory Smoked Breakfast Strips for good measure.

PS
The seitan cutlets make a pretty nice meaty main course pre-coating as well.

For the cutlets:
2 cups (288 g) vital wheat gluten flour
1 cup (120 g) whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon (7 g) garlic powder
2 tablespoons (14 g) onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
1 cup (235 ml) vegetable broth
1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce or tamari or Bragg’s
1/4 cup (60 ml) steak sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) liquid smoke

For the boiling broth:
6 cups (1.41 L) vegetable broth
1/2 cup (120 ml) soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, cut in half
1 bayleaf

For the crispy coating:
1 cup (235 ml) plain soymilk
2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
1 cup (36 g) sweet corn cereal such as cap’n crunch, crushed into a powder
1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
Oil for frying

For the White Sausage Gravy:
2 tablespoons (28 g) nondairy butter
1/4 cup (31 g) all purpose flour
2 cups (470 ml) vegetable broth
1/4 cup (60 g) nondairy sour cream
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 steak from above recipe, cut into tiny chunks

To make the cutlets, mix together vital wheat gluten, whole wheat pastry flour, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and nutritional yeast in a large mixing bowl. Mix together vegetable broth, soy sauce, steak sauce, oil, and liquid smoke in a separate bowl. Add wet to dry and knead into a dough. Knead for about 10 minutes. You can do this right in the bowl. Allow to rest for about 20 miutes to allow gluten to develop. Divide into 7 equal pieces. Form each piece into an oblong patty about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick.

Add all of the broth ingredients to a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Carefully place each patty into the simmering broth, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Return occassionally to gently stir and prevent steaks from sticking to the bottom and eachother.
Remove steaks from broth and set aside. Reserve one steak to be used in the gravy.

Prepare the crispy coating. In one shallow dish mix together the soymilk and lemon juice. It will curdle and become like buttermilk.
In a separate shallow dish, mix together the crushed cereal, flour and spices.
Use a deep fat fryer, or a frying pan filled with oil to equal about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) heated to 350°F (180°C).
Take one steak, dip into the buttermilk mixture to coat, then into the cereal mixture for a nice thick coating.
Carefully place in oil and fry until golden brown and crispy.

To make the gravy, melt butter in the bottom of a saucepot over medium high heat. Add flour and stir to make a light golden roux. Stir in vegetable broth and continue to stir until there are no lumps and mixture is thick like gravy. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream, pepper and cut up pieces of reserved steak. Stir until thick and creamy and smooth.

Serve by spooning gravy over chicken fried seitan steaks.

Yield: 6 servings

1 comment:

plasterer bristol said...

Yummy i love chicken or steak, this look delicious, thanks for sharing.

Simon

2012 Copyright/Permissions/Disclaimers

All recipes written by me, Joni Marie Newman, unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to refer to or link back to any of my recipes, but please ask for permission, and remember to give credit when reprinting recipes in their entirety. I do provide links to affiliate programs (such as Amazon) in which I receive a small commission for items purchased. I do not provide paid reviews. All reviews done on products or books are of my own unsolicited opinion. On occasion I may receive a book or product to review. I will note when this is the case, but rest assured, it will not affect the authenticity of my review. Thanks!--Joni