Kelsey’s Buffalo Seitan Vegan Mac and Cheese

Blog: Kelsey’s Buffalo Seitan Vegan Mac and Cheese

Recipes February 17, 2018

Featured in “BoxMac 102: Vegan Mac Fest Cook Off”

(please note everything is approximate. Kelsey does not claim to be a professional recipe writer and sometimes likes to throw extra things in without thinking about it)

Mac & Cheese:

Roast a bulb of garlic and a small, diced rutabaga (also called a waxed yellow turnip) until brown and soft.
- Notes: cut whole garlic in half laterally and drizzle with oil. At 375 degrees, the garlic will probably be done a bit before the rutabaga (maybe 35 minutes for the garlic and 45 for the rutabaga) and its easier to pop the cloves out if you let the garlic cool.
Add roasted garlic and rutabaga to a high-powered blender (I use a Vitamix) along with the following:
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/8 cup nutritional yeast
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked salt
- 3-5 cups water – start with 3 and add more as you blend
Blend on high until smooth, adding water as necessary to get a heavy milk or cream consistency.
Make a bechamel: In a large pot melt a 1/2 cup Earth Balance and add flour to thicken, cook for a couple minutes, and the add blender mixture
cook at medium temperature to thicken
add a bag of Daiya cheddar and a half wheel of Miyoko’s (your favorite variety, crumbled) and cook until everything is melted
Check seasoning and add cheese sauce to you favorite cooked pasta – I like Campanelle.

Buffalo Seitan:

Start off by making a large pot of simmering salty stock (I use a no-chicken bouillon and water with some onion and celery scraps)
In a bowl add the following:
- 1 cup stock from the big pot you made
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 1/3 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 c chickpea flour
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 4-5 teaspoons spices: garlic and onion powder, sage or chicken seasoning, salt, pepper
Knead dough (adding water if dry), developing the proteins to gluten, yielding a fairly rubbery dough
Cut the dough into small pieces, form into desired shape, and throw into the simmering stock
Simmer (make sure not to boil) lightly for about an hour. The seitan should float and be cooked in the middle
Dry and toss the seitan in a mixture of flour, cornstarch, almond milk, and spices and deep fry until golden brown
Toss in your favorite wing sauce – I use Franks RedHot, vegan butter, and Worcestershire

Ranch:

In a high powered blender, add equal parts Tofu and water and blend
Add dill, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper (and any other Ranchy flavors), to taste
Add enough cashews to thicken to dressing consistency and blend on high until smooth