Thursday, December 3, 2009

Guest Blogging--Vegan Chicken and Dumplings

Well scu is out of town and didn't arrange a guest blogger, so I thought I would step in with a few yummy vegan recipes. This recipe takes awhile but is relatively easy and is always a big hit. I like to make it for Thanksgiving because dumplings were a thankgiving staple growing up in my house.

Ingredients:
Broth:
1 c Nutritional yeast
4 c Water
2 Tbsp Tamari (Soy sauce works too)
1 tsp Garlic Powder (I like garlic, onion powder would work too or neither if you prefer)
2 tsp Rubbed Sage
1 tsp Rubbed Thyme
1 tsp Dried Rosemary

'chicken' (seitan)
1/2 c Vital Wheat Gluten
2 Tbsp Chickpea flour (if you don't have chickpea, white works as well)
1/2 c Water
1/2 tsp rubbed Sage
1/2 tsp rubbed thyme
1 Tbsp Tamari
1/4 c Nutritional yeast
1 tsp Garlic Powder

Dumplings
2 c Flour
5 tsp Baking powder (you could use self rising flour instead, but I never have that around the house)
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Margarine
2 Tbsp Vegetable Shortening
1 c Soy Milk (this is approximate)

4 c Water to add to broth before adding dumplings

1. Put all broth ingredients in a large stock pot, allow to boil over medium heat while preparing the seitan.

2. In a mixing bowl stir all ingredients together, everything should be moist but not soggy. If you need to make it dryer or wetter add more wheat gluten or water.

3. VERY IMPORTANT Knead the seitan mixture for at least 8 minutes, until it starts getting strings in it. This is important for any seitan recipe to have the correct texture. You'll end up with a big rubbery ball of seitan.

4. Turn the broth down to a simmer and don't let it bowl again from here on out (it will cause the seitan to swell)

5. Tear off tiny pieces of seitan and put them in the broth. These should be really small because each piece will be a 'bite' of chicken, and they expand in while cooking. I tend to stretch it thin (but not to the point of breaking it) and then pinch off little pieces. Now let that simmer for an hour.

6. When there's about 10 mins left on the simmering, start making the dumplings. Cut the margarine and shortening into the flour with a fork. (sometime around here I usually give up on the 'cutting in' and start using my fingers, it should be a crumbly mixture)

7. Add the soy milk and stir with a wooden spoon, the mixture should be a large ball of dough, it should stick to itself but not be sticky (equivalent to biscuit dough), it might need more soy milk, if it does you should add it, if you add too much just put in more flour.

8. Add the extra water to the broth when the seitan has simmered for an hour

9. Now you can just add the dumplings in teasponfuls to the broth,but I prefer to roll it out to about a 1/2 inch and use the back of butter knife to cut them into squares then add to the broth, either works. Stir the pot to get everything mixed up

10. Cook covered over low heat for 10-15 mins (but if it's thanksgiving and you're making other things you can leave this over low heat for hours)

11. Stir again (make sure there's nothing stuck to the bottom) and cook uncovered for like 5 mins, then serve