Seitan Pot Roast

 

Let me start with my apologies to my gluten-free followers. This dish is not gluten-free since it contains seitan. However, it can totally be made gluten-free by swapping out the seitan for tofu, tempeh, mushrooms or if you're really lucky, Beyond Meat. And if you have access to Beyond Meat, then I don't feel bad at all because I don't have access to it and therefore, you should be apologizing to me. Or sending me some.

Anyway, pot roast is something my mother made all the time. It's the ultimate comfort meal and my dad loved it. I wanted to make it for Tom so I cheated and used seitan. Yum! I forgot how much I like seitan.

Unlike traditional pot roast, this doesn't take long to make at all. It doesn't have to sit and simmer all day. This meal is ready in less than an hour!

This stew is incredible. The seitan is tender and delicious. Potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and onions are all swimming in a thick, rich gravy. Tom took one bite and said it was "love on a plate."

 

My Seitan Pot Roast is a Sunday dinner you can make any night of the week.  Enjoy! I'll be waiting for my Beyond Meat care packages. I'm serious...really, I'm serious.

 

Seitan Pot Roast

 

1 lb. seitan, cut into chunks
½ cup + 3 Tbs. chickpea flour, divided
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbs. canola oil
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, cut into chunks
4 large red or Yukon potatoes, cut into chunks
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried thyme
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
½ cup red wine (optional)
3-4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 Tbs. vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, for garnish

Pat the seitan chunks dry with a paper towel. In a shallow bowl, combine ½ cup of chickpea flour with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix well. Toss the seitan into the flour so that it’s well coated. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven under medium-high heat. Place the flour-coated seitan chunks into the pot. Don’t crowd the bottom of the pot. Let the seitan cook without moving them until they get browned, about 4-5 minutes. When they are browned, turn the seitan over to brown on the other side, about 3 minutes. You will probably have to cook all the seitan in two batches. Transfer the browned seitan to a dish and set aside. Try not to munch on too many!

When all the seitan is cooked, add the mushrooms to the pot. If the pot is dry, you can add more oil. Let the mushrooms cook until they brown, about 6 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots to the pot. Cook until they start to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes to the pot.

Add the bay leaf, thyme and parsley to the pot. Mix the spices and the vegetables well. Add the red wine to the pot and cook until it reduces by half, about 5 minutes. Add the broth to the pot, enough so that the liquid measures about 2 inches higher than the vegetables. You can also use water to supplement the broth. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Return the seitan chunks (if you haven’t eaten them all) to the pot and mix them in with the vegetables. Clearing a spot in the liquid, mix in 3 Tbs. of flour. This will thicken the sauce. Add the Worcestershire sauce and mustard and mix well. Let cook until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a bowl garnished with fresh parsley.

To make gluten-free pot roast: substitute tofu or Beyond Meat for the seitan. Make sure to use gluten-free flour and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce.

 

 The "V" Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.