my hubby just had a birthday, so i now am the owner of a fridge full of cake; life’s a bitch, ain’t it? compared to my grill-heavy array of photos last time, these are getting decided more fall-themed, especially the seitan roulade. i’ve attempted a few versions of seitan roulade; i made the vegan yum yum version with disastrous results: bland, hard, rubbery seitan that puffed all crazy-like. i also made a cumbersome version by attempting to make, and steam one large sheet of seitan- it was ok, but like i said, a bitch to put together! now, i feel as though i have nailed the seitan part, but my kale filling didn’t hold up to the awesome, hearty texture. it was a sort of thanksgiving test-drive, and it went well enough that i will repeat the “roasted mushroom seitan” layer, and fiddle with the stuffing. i’m thinking my next run will have a more traditional herbed breadcrumb stuffing with cranberries, orange, and pecan. yum!
vegan seitan roulade, potroast style
split pea soup from the conscious cook
i recently picked up the conscious cook, by tal ronnen. after devouring the split pea soup with tempeh bacon and chipotle cream, i decided it was in my top 5 vegan cook books. ever.
here’s another recipe from the book, but i cant remember what it’s called and i am too lazy to go look. penne tossed in a “sauce” of tomatoes, onions, fennel, and chard. fennel doesn;t really do anything for me, so i could have done with far less of it, but we jazzed up the leftovers with extra tomatoes, spices, and some daiya for an impromptu ziti. 
birthday burger!
ah, delicious birthday wishes. the hubby wanted a full-on feast fit for a beer; homemade mushroom black bean burgers topped with tempeh bacon, daiya cheddar, and maple-caramelized onions. made complete with ultra-crispy tater tots- in my deep fryer! i have to say, sometimes i really do like daiya- i think it works well as a condiment, but i think i’d be overloaded in the flavor/texture department if i used it for “mac and cheese”. the cake was a repeat of last years chocolate stout cake, and oh man is it ever good! i had to use a different brand of stout, and i think i prefer the rogue that i used last time. the samuel smith oatmeal stout didn’t have as much depth, but like i said, it was good!
