We were sent a bag of organic vital wheat gluten from BuywholefoodOnline this week. It’s an ingredient that many gluten-free fans would run a mile from however, if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, it can be the start of so many exciting dishes!
It works as a natural improver for home-baked bread, adding elasticity, especially if you’re using low-gluten flours such as spelt, rye, buckwheat, millet or oat. The recommended ratio is 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten for every 125 grams or so of flour.
What we’re doing with the vital wheat gluten this week is creating luxe vegan seitan burgers. Seitan (pronounced ‘say-tan’) is a versatile high-protein, low-carb, low-fat meat substitute.
I’ve used brioche buns as the breads for my seitan burgers. However, if you want a vegan option, try my sourdough burger buns.
Burger garnish is important, don’t skimp on it. Load up on vegan mayo (made with aquafaba), lettuce, vegan cheese slices, gherkins, beef tomato slices and red onion rings, barbecue sauce… the works!
Click here to save the recipe for my vegan seitan burgers!
- 50g dried porcini/mixed wild mushrooms
- 2½tsps vegan bullion powder (or equivalent stock cube)
- 2tbsps olive oil
- 2 shallots (or 1 medium onion), finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 150g vital wheat gluten
- 1tsp beetroot powder
- 1tsp smoked paprika
- 1tsp turmeric
- 1tsp crushed chillies
- 1tsp cracked mixed peppercorns (or just black)
- 1tsp smoked sea salt
- 1tbsp soy sauce
- 2tsps balsamic vinegar
- 4 burger buns (I used brioche buns, but you can try my vegan sourdough burger buns)
- And your choice of: mayo, ketchup, BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato, gherkins, red onion
- Soak the dried porcini/mixed wild mushrooms in 150ml of boiling water for at least 20 minutes
- Strain the mushrooms - reserving the liquid - and chop them up finely
- Stir in ½tsp of the bullion powder to the reserved mushroom water
- Over a low heat, using a tablespoon of the olive oil, sweat off the finely chopped shallots, garlic and soaked & chopped mushrooms. Set aside to cool
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: the vital wheat gluten, beetroot powder, smoked paprika, turmeric, crushed chillies, cracked pepper and smoked sea salt
- In another, smaller mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients: the reserved mushroom water (with bullion powder), soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and olive oil
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry followed by the cooled shallot/garlic/mushroom mixture
- Knead for about a minute - don't overwork or the seitan will become rubbery
- Form into 4 burgers - I used a metal ring to help shape them - and leave them to rest for 10 minutes
- In a measuring jug, dissolve the remaining 2 teaspoons of bullion powder in 500ml of boiling water
- Pour the vegetable stock into a skillet pan and bring up to a simmer
- Carefully place the burgers into the pan and cover with a lid
- Gently simmer the burger patties in the stock (pop in a bay leaf or two if you have them) for 30-40 minutes, carefully flipping them over at the half-way point.
- Remove the burgers from the stock and allow to dry out on a wire rack with drip tray beneath. Press down on each to remove more of the liquid
- Cook off the burgers on a very hot skillet until nicely coloured/seared on both sides
- Build your burgers to your liking!
Cakes & Bakes: Seeded crackers
Crackers are something I’ve never attempted to make in the past. They always seemed a lot of effort when you could just buy a selection box. The problem with selection boxes is that there are always ones that no one likes and don’t get eaten; what a waste!
I saw this simple recipe for seeded crackers and thought I’d give them a try. I’m so glad I did; they’re not fiddly to make at all. Well, other than carefully measuring with a ruler to make sure they were all identical in size. But that’s just me being really fussy. Using the pizza wheel meant that I whizzed through the cutting process!
Use whatever seeds you have to hand. I had a ready-made bag of mixed seeds however, you can go for little sesame seeds, poppy seeds, linseeds, hemp seeds, caraway seeds or larger pumpkin and sunflower seeds… whichever selection you prefer!
Justin proclaimed these even better than the excellent Dr Karg’s crispbreads!
Click here to save the seeded cracker recipe to Pinterest
- 60g/2oz wholemeal flour
- 30g/1oz semolina
- ¼tsp fine salt
- 40g/1½oz mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, poppy, sesame, linseeds etc.)
- 1tbsp vegetable oil
- 50ml/1¾fl oz water
- In a large bowl, mix the wholemeal flour, semolina and salt together with 35g/1oz of the seeds
- In separate bowl, whisk the water and oil
- Stir into the dry ingredients and mix to form a medium-firm dough
- Knead the dough for five minutes then return it to the bowl, cover and set aside for 20 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/375ºF/Gas mark 4. Line 2-3 baking trays with non-stick parchment
- Oil the work surface and roll the dough out to a thickness of 3mm
- Using a ruler and a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into rectangles or diamonds, of approximately 5cmx15cm/2"x6"
- Place on to the prepared trays close together, but not touching
- Spray the crackers with a bit of water and sprinkle the remainder of the mixed seeds (I also sprinkled a tiny amount of flaked salt)
- You can re-knead any left-over scraps, but they won't be as successful as the first kneading. Alternatively, put the scraps on a tray and bake them for snacking
- Bake the crackers for 15-18 minutes
- Turn the oven off, open the door for 30 seconds and close again. Leave the trays in the residual heat of the oven for 10-15 minutes for extra crispness
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool
Cakes & Bakes: Tapioca flour flatbread
This week’s recipe is a collaboration with Buy Whole Foods Online, a Kent-based, family-run, international health food supplier. They provided us with some ingredients to create a healthy meal; organic tapioca flour, organic hemp seeds, cashews, and raw organic honey. Deciding what to make was like being on an episode of Ready, Steady, Cook!
We decided on grilled tofu & vegetable skewers served with a cashew satay sauce and hemp seed, tapioca flour flatbread.
We started by making cashew nut butter; simply cashews, coconut oil and pinch of salt puréed in a food processor for 20 minutes.
We then used this to make a wonderful satay sauce – a very straightforward process that combines the cashew butter with coconut milk, soya sauce, chilli flakes, honey and lime juice.
Next up we made the flatbreads. The gluten-free tapioca flour is derived from the cassava root. It’s almost 100% carbohydrate – with little or no protein, fat, fibre or minerals. For best results, it should be blended with other flour (such as coconut or almond). We studded our flatbread with toasted hemp seeds which – unlike the tapioca flour – are brimful of nutrients including protein, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iron and essential fatty acids.
It’s another simple recipe that, due to being yeast-free, needed no lengthy proving time.
It’s a batter rather than a dough and is cooked on a griddle or frying pan.
And, last but not least, the kebabs. Simply marinate sautéed tofu and vegetables of choice in a garlic and ginger paste – and then skewer.
To serve, grill the kebabs and reheat the breads and sauce – done! Garnish with fresh coriander or salad leaves. It’s a healthy, nutritious and delicious meal!
Click here to save our recipe to Pinterest
- 175g/6oz tapioca flour
- 50g/1¾oz coconut flour
- 1tsp salt
- 2tbsp coconut oil
- 255ml/10fl oz lukewarm water
- 1tbsp hemp seeds, toasted
- 250g cashews (not roasted or salted/sweetened)
- 1tbsp coconut oil
- ½tsp salt
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 tin coconut milk
- 1tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)
- 150g/5oz cashew nut butter
- 2tbsps soy sauce (a gluten-free version is available)
- juice of a lime
- generous pinch of salt
- 2tbsps raw organic honey (use date sugar or jaggery if you want a vegan version)
- Preheat your skillet on a medium flame
- Sift the flours and salt together into a large bowl; make a well in the centre
- Add the oil and water to the centre of the flour and gradually whisk together to form a batter
- Mix in the toasted hemp seeds
- When the skillet has heated, ladle a quarter of the batter in and spread the contents into a round or oval
- When the top of the flatbread is beginning to dry, flip and cook the other side until it begins to brown
- Repeat until all the batter is used up
- Put the cashews into a food processor and purée for about 10 minutes. You'll need to stop processing every few minutes and scrape the contents down from the sides to purée completely
- Add the coconut oil and salt and process for another 10 minutes - again scraping the contents down from the sides if necessary
- Over a low heat, fry the finely chopped onion in a little oil until softened but not browned
- Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, cashew nut butter, chilli flakes and salt
- Continue to cook over a low heat, stirring regularly, for approximately ½ hour
- Stir in the lime juice at the end of cooking process
- To toast, sauté the hemp seeds for just a couple of minutes in a hot wok or saucepan. Be careful, they tend to jump out of the pan like popcorn!
- Brush the griddle with a little vegetable oil to prevent the flatbread from sticking.
Price Points: Veganuary swaps
Have you made any new year’s resolutions? We’re doing Dry January for the 2nd year running. I’ve considered doing Veganuary as well; I’m already a strict vegetarian and was vegan for a number of years. It would be a small change that I don’t think would make a huge difference, in my case.
If you, however, are looking for a month-long shake up of your diet – here are a few Veganuary swaps to your usual staples that you could try to make it easier.
- Provamel organic macadamia nut drink: 49p, Star Bargains (rrp £1.75)
Bake with it, add it to your morning coffee or drink it cold on its own straight from the fridge. Macadamia nuts are a rich source of mono-unsaturated fats, vitamins B1 & B6, manganese, iron and magnesium. - Follow Your Heart vegan egg: £3.99, Holland & Barrett
Plant-based egg replacer. Gluten-free, nut free, cereal-free. It’s great for cake baking or make it into scrambled egg or omelette dishes. - Chocolate hazelnut spread: £6.00, Hotel Chocolat
Following a vegan diet doesn’t mean you have to remain sin-free. This is a vegan alternative to Nutella (which contains milk solids). Spread it on bread, pancakes and croissants.
shop Veganuary swaps
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