Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking (11 page)

DRY COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1.
Have ready four 6-inch-long pieces of foil.

2.
Make and shape the seitan as in the above recipes and wrap in the prepared foil pieces.

3.
Place in the slow cooker, cover, turn heat to LOW, and cook for 4 hours until the foil has filled out and the seitan is firm.

4.
Allow to cool 15 minutes in the foil, then either unwrap
and allow the seitan to cool prior to using or place in fridge to complete cooling and to store for future use.

STEAMING INSTRUCTIONS

1.
Place a collapsible steamer basket in the slow cooker. Add water to reach the bottom of the basket. Have ready four 6-inch-long pieces of tinfoil.

2.
Make and shape the seitan as in the above recipes and wrap each piece, firmly but not too tightly, in tinfoil.

3.
Place in the steamer basket. Cover slow cooker, turn heat to LOW, and cook for 4 hours, or until firm.

Chipotle Lentil Sausages

T
HIS IS AN
 inspired variation on the basic steamed seitan sausage recipe (created for the stovetop by cookbook author Julie Hasson) that took the vegan world by storm a few years back. These are good anywhere you’d use sausages but especially anywhere you’d like a little spice. As with seitan, vegan sausages are becoming more widely available in grocery stores, if you would prefer not to make your own.

Makes 4 sausages
Preparation time: 15 minutes

½ recipe (¾ cup) Chipotle Lentil Pâté (
page 50
)

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ or ½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder (see Note)
 

¼ cup nutritional yeast
 

1 cup vital wheat gluten

1.
Place a collapsible steamer basket in the slow cooker insert. Add water to reach the bottom of the basket. Prepare four 8-inch lengths of foil.

2.
In a large bowl, with a fork, mix the pâté through the chipotle powder.

3.
Add the nutritional yeast, mix, then add the gluten and mix well with the fork. With your hands knead in the bowl for 3 to 4 minutes to activate the gluten.

4.
Divide into 4 equal pieces and shape into logs about 5 inches long, roughly 1 inch in diameter. Wrap each piece firmly in the foil, twisting the ends to seal, and place in the steamer basket. Cover the slow cooker, turn heat to LOW, and cook for 4 hours, checking the water level periodically, if possible, until the sausage is firm.

5.
Remove from the heat and allow the sausages to cool until you can handle them; unwrap and serve. If not using immediately, allow to cool fully prior to storing in the fridge.

NOTE
: I love the smoky heat of the chipotle powder but not everyone does; use the level of spice you are most comfortable with.

Chipotle Lentil Pâté

I
KEEP THIS SMOKY
,
spicy, thick spread low in fat, with only a little oil. It is firm and spreadable and perfect for crackers or triangles of brown toast, or even as a dip for sturdy vegetables such as carrots and celery, if you’re looking for ways to use the leftovers after you make the sausages. This pâté is also used to make the “Not-Meat” Balls and Spaghetti (
page 180
), so you can use half the recipe in the sausages and half in that recipe if you’d like. Cook the lentils in the slow cooker or on the stovetop instead of using canned lentils if you’d prefer. You’ll need to start with
²
/
₃
to 1 cup of dry brown lentils if cooking them yourself.

Makes about 1½ cups
Preparation time: 10 minutes

2 cups cooked brown lentils or one 19-ounce can, drained and rinsed

1 shallot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 chipotle in adobo, seeded and chopped
 

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper
 

¼ cup dry bread crumbs
 

Salt and black pepper

1.
Place the lentils through the chipotle in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, and well mixed.

2.
Add the garlic powder through the white pepper and blend until smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides as required.

3.
Add the bread crumbs and pulse until well combined. The texture should be thick and smooth, yet moist to the touch.

4.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

5.
Chill for at least 1 hour prior to serving or making the sausages, or make the pâté up to 5 days before making the sausage and store in the fridge.

Dry Chees-y Mix

powder only

I
NITIALLY INSPIRED MANY
years and changes ago by the recipe for Dragonfly’s Bulk Dry Uncheese Mix (VegWeb.com), this is handy to have on hand. Use it for whipping up a tasty chees-y sauce or salad dressing in a flash, or sprinkle onto dishes as a Parmesan substitute. I use this mix as an ingredient in a few recipes, so make this one first! It lasts a couple of months in a sealed container in the fridge or in the freezer (using straight from the freezer is okay).

To replace this mix in any recipe where you would prefer to have a nut-free result, for each tablespoon of the Dry Chees-y Mix use instead 2 teaspoons of nutritional yeast and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. This substitution only works well for small amounts (less than ¼ cup) of the Dry Chees-y Mix; any more will impair results.

Makes about 2½ cups
Preparation time: 10 minutes

½ cup raw cashews

½ cup quick-cooking rolled oats

¼ cup hemp seeds

2 tablespoons raw pine nuts

1 cup nutritional yeast

¼ cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch
 

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon mustard powder

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon turmeric
 

Salt and black pepper

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
In a food processor, pulse together the cashews, oats, hemp seeds, and pine nuts until a smooth and lump-free powder forms. Scrape the sides as required.

2.
Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine.

3.
Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 months until needed.

TO MAKE INTO A SIMPLE CHEES-Y SAUCE:
MAKES 1 CUP

1.
Combine ½ cup of the Dry Chees-y Mix with ½ cup soy (or other) milk and ½ cup water in a small pot. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.

2.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

TO MAKE INTO A SIMPLE CHEES-Y SALAD DRESSING:
MAKES ¼ CUP

1.
Combine ¼ cup of your favorite vegan mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of the Dry Chees-y Mix and whisk to combine.

2.
Taste and season with salt and black pepper if required.

Faux Poultry Seasoning Mix