Green Posole Stew

Submitted by Erica, who shared her recipe for Christmas dinner!

(Adapted from the cookbook "Viva Vegan" by Terry Hope Romero)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed, washed
• 2 Tbs peanut oil
• 1 package Upton's Naturals Traditional Seitan
• 1/4 cup pepitas
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapenos, serranos or other green chiles, washed, sliced in half and seeded if desired
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 1/2 dried oregano
• 1 tspn ground cumin
• 2 cups veg broth
• 1/2 cup mexican light beer or veg broth
• 1 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can white cooked hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 pound spinach, chopped

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot with enough water to allow the tomatillos to float, cover witha lid, turn heat to high and bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the tomatillos, stir them occasionally, and cook for 10 minutes or until the skins start to split and the tomatillos bright green color begins to fade. Use a slotted spoon to remove and tranfer them to a bowl to cool for about 10 minutes.
2. Heat 1 Tb of oil in large pot. Add the seitan. Saute until browned about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside. In cast iron skillet, toast the pepitas until lightly browned, about 4 minutes, and transfer to food processor or blender to finley grind, then set aside.
3. In a blender jar, pulse the cooled tomatillos with their juices, garlic, onion, chiles, cilantro, oregano and cumin to form a thick sauce. In the large soup pot, heat the remaining 1 Tb of oil over medium heat. Add the blended tomatillos and cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce turns darker (no longer light green) and thickens slightly. Slowly stir in broth and/or beer, pumkin seeds and bring to a boil again. lower heat to a simmer. Add the seitan, beans and hominy. Partially cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
4. Stir in the spinach, partially cover again, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.
5. When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and top with avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc.

Movin' On Upt Chorizo-Stuffed Cornbread Pancakes

Today's recipe comes from the lovely Miss Rachel of Miss Rachel's Pantry and, as breakfast food enthusiasts, we have to say that it looks DELICIOUS!

Too much fun to stuff into one pancake... makes 8!

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 8oz package Upton's Naturals chorizo-style seitan
• 2 teaspoon olive oil (canola is okay, too)- 1/4 cup crushed tomato (no basil, please)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh jalapeno, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
• 1 tablespoon Egg Replacer
• 1/4 cup your favorite melty vegan cheese
• 1 pinch of salt
• Oil for pan-frying

Pancake Ingredients:

• 3 cups soy milk
• 2 cups cornmeal, medium grind
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 teaspoons Egg Replacer- 1 tablespoon agave nectar (or 1 tablespoon sugar)- 1 teaspoon salt
• Oil for pan-frying

Syrup Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon finely diced jalapeno

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine the Upton's chorizo, olive oil, crushed tomato, garlic, jalapeno and liquid smoke, and pulse 'til ground.
2. Transfer to a mixing bowl, then add in the Egg Replacer, vegan cheese and salt.
3. Mix well, then create tablespoon-size patties (the batter will be slightly loose, but will tighten up when heated).
4. Place a pan over medium-high heat and pour in enough oil to lightly coat (approximately 1 tablespoon for a medium size pan). Once hot, add the patties and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until brown. Set aside.
5. Next, heat the soy milk in a sauce pan until it boils.
6. While soy milk is heating, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, Egg Replacer, agave and salt in a mixing bowl.
7. Pour the milk over the dry mixture and mix well to form a thick batter (it should look like a thin oatmeal).
8. Heat a pan with oil like you just did for the patties, and pour the batter to make pancakes.
9. Once poured, lightly press a patty into the center of each cake, then top with more batter to hide the patty.
10. After 3-4 minutes, the edges will start to brown, and that's how you know it's time to flip. Unlike traditional pancakes, the batter doesn't really bubble to indicate doneness. Once flipped, cook for another minute.
11. Coincidentally, a minute is all you need to prepare the syrup! Imagine that. Simply puree the maple syrup with the jalapeno until the mixture is nice and uniform - maple-ly with little green bits.
12. Flip your pancakes onto a plate, pour with syrup, and enjoy the best savory-sweet breakfast, lunch or dinner you've had since you started on that mustache (which I hear takes awhile when it's not sent to you in the mail).
13. Then, all that's left is the eatin' part. Surprise! There's your chorizo patty! He was there all along.

Empanadas al Horno (Chilean Turnovers or Meat Pies)

Another great recipe from Noelle at An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

makes 10-12
Veganized and adapted from The South American Table

Masa (Dough) Ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance, cut in pieces
• 1/4 cup all-vegetable shortening (Spectrum)
• 3/4 cup warm almond milk (or non-dairy milk)

Masa (Dough) Directions:

1. In a food processor, put the flour, salt, and baking powder and with a fitted steel blade pulse for 5 seconds.
2. Add the shortening and Earth Balance and process ntil the mixture looks like coarse meal, about 15 seconds.
3. While the machine is running, pour the milk through the feed tube in a steady stream and process until the dough almost comes together into a ball. Remove from bowl and knewad a few times and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare pino or the seitan filling.
4. Roll dough into a long log and cut dough into 10-12 pieces.

Relleno (Filling) Ingredients:

• 8 ounce package Upton's Nautrals Ground beef-Style Seitan
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder
• 12 pitted black olives
• 1/4 cup seedless black raisin, soaked for 5 minutes and drained

Relleno (Filling) Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan and saute' onions for 5-7 minutes until transparent.
2. Add seitan and garlic and cook for 5 more minutes.
3. Add seasonings and cook for 3 more minutes.
4. Add vegetable broth and simmer until liquid almost evaporates (5 minutes).
5. Add arrowroot powder to seitan mixture and cook until mixture thickens.

Assembly:

1. Take one piece of dough and roll into a 6-inch circle.
2. Add 1-1 1/2 Tablespoons of seitan filling.
3. Add a few raisins and one black olive.
4. Take one side of the dough and bring to the front side of dough to enclose the filling sealing the ends and folding the excess dough and sealing upwards.
5. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
6. "Egg" wash over the empanadas. 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder w/ 2 Tablespoons water. Mix well and brush over the tops of each empanada.
7. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from oven and turn each empanada over and baking on the opposite side for 5 minutes. This is will brown the tops a little.

Eat slightly warm and serve with Pebre or my grandma's secret chimichurri sauce. Enjoy!!