Meatless Monday: Seitan Bourguignon

Twitter cofounder Biz Stone’s vegan take on classic bourguignon makes innovative use of seitan and mushroom crispy “bacon” strips.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 (1/2-pound) packages traditional-flavored seitan, broken into bite-size pieces
• 4 shallots, minced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced crosswise into 1-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 (750 mL) bottle pinot noir
• 1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 15 pearl onions, fresh or frozen, peeled
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mushroom “Bacon” Topping

• 1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• Olive oil
• Coarse salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place mushrooms in a large bowl; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.
3. Evenly spread mushrooms in a single layer in a shallow glass baking dish. Transfer to oven and bake, tossing with tongs every 5 to 10 minutes, until dry and crisp, taking care not to burn. Remove from baking dish; mushroom “bacon” may be used hot or at room temperature.

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add seitan and cook, stirring, until seitan is browned and caramelized on all sides. Reduce heat and add shallots, carrots, and garlic; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
2. Transfer seitan mixture to a large saucepan; add wine and enough stock to just cover seitan mixture. Add parsley, bay leaves, thyme, and pearl onions; cover and bring to a simmer until vegetables are tender. Transfer seitan, carrots, and onions to a large serving bowl; set aside and keep warm.
3. In a small bowl, mix together flour and margarine. Add flour mixture to saucepan, stirring until well combined. Let sauce simmer, uncovered, until it reaches a gravy-like consistency. Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.
4. Pour sauce over seitan in serving bowl; garnish with mushroom “bacon” topping and parsley. Serve.

Meatless Monday, an international movement, encourages people everywhere to cut meat one day a week for personal and planetary health.

Image Credit & Recipe Courtesy: wholeliving.com

Meatless Monday: Quinoa-Spinach Bake

Easy Quinoa Dinner Recipe

A baked mixture of quinoa, spinach, cottage cheese, and eggs is substantial enough to serve on its own or with a green salad for a light dinner.

Ingredients

• • Olive-oil cooking spray
  • Breadcrumbs, for baking dish
  • 1 pound spinach leaves, picked and washed
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 tablespoon picked fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 cup uncooked quinoa), made according to package directions
  • 1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten