dinner

Seitan Gyros

dinner, mediterranean, Seitan

ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
  • 4 TBS nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 onion – minced
  • 1 clove garlic – minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dry basil
  • 1 tsp dry oregano
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 3/4 cup water (or more if necessary)

instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all the wet ingredients (onion, garlic, water, ketchup, tahini) in one bowl & the dry (wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, basil, oregano & pepper) in another & combine them.  It comes together fast & looks like raw hamburger – if hamburger was doughy.

3. Grease a loaf pan & press this shit in there, COVER IT WITH FOIL & bake it for about an hour.  Or just kinda shape it on some foil, wrap it up & bake it.

When you are ready to make the sandwich, slice off some seitan & fry it up until warmed through.

From https://delightfuldeliciousdelovelyblog.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/vegan-gyro-with-homemade-seitan-tzatziki-sauce/

Mexican Casserole

dinner, mexican

ingredients

  • 2 red peppers, 2 green (or an onion), diced
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups Mexican cheese
  • 18-20 tortillas (I use corn on one side, flour on the other)
  • 1 can refried beans
  • 2 cups red enchilada sauce (ingredients below)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1/4 cup chili powder (yes, a whole quarter cup!)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • salt, to taste

instructions

  1. Cook peppers and/or onion over high heat until browned. Add the corn, sprinkling with chili and cumin. Remove from heat when browned and roasted on the outside. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan and preheat the oven to 400F.
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  2. Make the enchilada sauce.
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    1. Heat oil in a small pot on medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook for one minute, whisking constantly. Add in the chili powder, garlic, cumin, oregano, and cook for 1 more minute.
      –
    2. Gradually pour in stock, whisking constantly until no lumps remain. Continue cooking until the sauce reaches a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low to maintain a simmer for about 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until sauce has slightly thickened.
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  3. Cut the tortillas into strips. Put the refried beans in a bowl and mix with a little water or milk to make it easier to spread.
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  4. Spread a little bit of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer in order: half of the tortilla strips, ALL the beans, half of the veggies, half of the sauce, half of the cheese. Cover with the other half of the tortilla strips, veggies, sauce, and cheese.
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  5. Cover with foil (I usually spray mine with cooking spray) and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Serve with guacamole, fresh cilantro, sour cream, or anything in the world that you want.

From https://pinchofyum.com/healthy-mexican-casserole-roasted-corn-peppers and https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/red-enchilada-sauce/

Basic Seitan

basics, Seitan

ingredients

  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten
  • 1/4 cup chickpea flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 cups stock
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce (could try omitting)

instructions

  1. Stir the vital wheat gluten and chickpea flour together in a medium bowl.
    –
  2. Add the water and stir to form a soft dough.
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  3. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead it for 5 minutes. Just like with bread making, kneading helps to develop the strands of gluten that give seitan its meaty texture.
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  4. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes.
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  5. While the dough rests, stir all of the broth ingredients for your choice of broth together in a large pot. 
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  6. Place the pot over high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a low simmer.
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  7. Cut the dough into at least 4 large pieces (they will expand during cooking and if they’re too big the broth won’t fully penetrate them and if they get too big the broth will no longer cover them.
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  8. Add the dough to the broth.
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  9. Allow the broth to simmer for 1 hour, uncovered, watching closely to ensure it stays at a low simmer (don’t allow it to rapidly boil).
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  10. Remove the pot from heat and allow it to cool a bit.
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  11. When the seitan is cool enough to handle, you can cut it into smaller pieces if you like. Use it in a recipe immediately, or store it in the broth. Refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze.

From (with small changes from me): https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/how-to-make-seitan/

For Serving:

So far, i’ve found it’s best if you pan fry it, searing like meat. Make sure each piece has space in the pan to lie flat. I pan seared it with taco seasoning and olive oil and salt with some onions (cook kthe onions first with seasoning, then remove them and cook just the seitan. Ee loved that for a dinner.

Pad Thai (in progress)

asian, dinner

ingredients

  • 8 oz rice noodles
  • 3-5 eggs
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can bean sprouts (or 1 cup fresh)
  • 8 oz tofu
  • Optional: garnish with peanuts, lime, cilantro, green onions

Sauce

  • 3 tbsp fish sauce (or sub soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • 5 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar 
  • 1 tbsp Sriracha (or just under)
  • 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter

instructions

  1. Cook noodles until just tender and rinse under cold water.
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  2. Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
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  3. Heat 1 1/2 tbsp of oil in large saucepan. Ad tofu and cook until browned. Add garlic and push to the side of the pan.
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  4. Add a little more oil and add the beaten eggs to the pan until cooked through (scramble).
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  5. Add noodles, sauce, bean sprouts, and optional peanuts to the pan and toss to combine.

Adapted from https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/pad-thai/

Sloppy Joes – Two Ways

classic american, dinner

ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 2 small onions, chopped
  • 2 small green peppers, chopped
  • 3 cans kidney beans OR 1 can beans (half mashed up), 1 lb ground beef substitute
  • 1 cup open bit bbq sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar

instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Cook vegetables, covered on low heat until soft and lightly browned (10-20 minutes).
    –
  2. Note: for meat version, cook the vegetables and push them to the side. Cook ground beef substitute until cooked through, then move to step 2.
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  3. Add beans, brown sugar, and bbq sauce. Mash about half or more of the beans with potato masher to make a thick mixture.
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  4. Continue cooking until it boils, then reduce heat and simmer 10-20 minutes.

Mom’s Chilaquiles (Reverse Engineered)

dinner, mexican

ingredients

  • 1/2 bag (idrk) tortilla chips
  • 1 large (?) jar mild salsa
  • several beaten eggs
  • queso fresco or mozzarella

instructions

  1. Slightly crush some of the chips and place in a large frying pan.
    –
  2. Pour salsa over chips and stir a bit. Heat pan to medium. Move saucy chips to the side of the pan, leaving center empty. Spray center of the pan with pam.
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  3. Pour eggs into hot center andd lightly scramble. Mix eggs and chips lightly.
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  4. Sprinkle crumbled or grated cheese over top. Turn off heat. Cover pan with lid slighhtly ajar so that moisture cna escape. Wait about five minutes or until cheese has melted to serve.

Mother Fuckin Yellow Rice

dinner, mexican

ingredients

  • 2 cups white rice
  • 4 1/3 cups water, boiling
  • chicken boullion, 5 cups worth
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • a couple cherry tomatoes, a little sriracha, or just a little something tomato-ey

instructions

  1. Put a little oil in a pan and heat it up. Add the rice and brown it (may take 10 minutes or so) before adding the onion and cooking until it has caramelized (be fuckin patient). Add the garlic and tomato a few minutes before onions will be done.
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  2. Add spices and chicken boullion (if powdered) and stir until coated before add the boiling water (with the bullion if not powdered) and simmering, covered, for about 20 minutes.

Tuna Cheese Casserole

classic american, dinner

ingredients

  • 1 pckg egg noodles
  • 2 cans broccoli-cheese soup
  • 2 cans tuna, drained and shredded
  • 1 cup frozen peas (or mixed frozen vegetables)
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcumbs
  • Pam (or a little butter) and a little cheese (I used Romano)

instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400. Cook egg noodles to al dente.
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  2. Combine cooked noodles, soup, tuna, and frozen peas in a casserole dish.
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  3. Mix breadcrumbs with a little oil and cheese and spread over the top.
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  4. Bake for 20ish minutes or till warmed through and bubbly.

Chickpea Butt-ritos

dinner, mexican

ingredients

  • 1 box mexican rice
  • 1 can refried beans
  • 1 can chickpeas
  • mexican cheese
  • burrito tortillas
  • avocado
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

instructions

  1. Make the rice and warm up the refried beans.
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  2. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Dry with paper towels (wet ones won’t roast well) and, for this recipe, de-skin chickpeas using a paper towel to gently pull them off.
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  3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and add chickpeas. Cook until starting to brown, then add spices and continue to cook (letting them crumble in the pan a bit) until crispy.
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  4. Assemble the burritos by spreading the beans, rice, chickpeas, cheese, avo, and any veggies across the middle of the taco. Then fold and roll up.
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  5. Heat up a pan with a little oil and cook the burritos on each side.

Danny’s Doubledecker Tacos

dinner, mexican

ingredients

  • 6 hard shell tacos
  • 6 flour tortillas
  • 1 can refried beans, warmed up
  • 1 pack mexican rice
  • 1 lb ground beef/meat substitute
  • 1/2 pckg cojita cheese or nacho cheese if ya nasty (as Michael Scott would say)
  • mediterranean salad for serving
  • couldn’t hurt to have a little cilantro and lime

  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

instructions

  1. Heat a pan over medium heat and 1 tsp olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the meat/meat substitute. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to brown.
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  2. Add in the cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Cook until just browned.
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  3. Assemble the tacos!
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    1. Cook the flour tortilla on your gas range.
      –
    2. Coat one side of the tortilla in refried beans.
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    3. Press the bean side of the tortilla against the outer side of the hard shell taco like a cover.
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    4. Lay in the ground beef, rice, cheese, and salad if desired.

Adapted from www.howsweeteats.com/2019/01/ground-beef-tacos/