As I've mentioned before, I am a Flirt ~ according to Alicia Silverstone, that is. I enjoy eating my veggies, I enjoy cooking with veggies & I enjoy sometimes playing around with vegetarian / vegan recipes in the kitchen. Why? ~ just because. I guess I find it interesting how some vegetarian / vegan recipes try to recreate a dish that is based on meat. They are trying to recapture a culinary memory, by using only veggies. Maybe, I just like a challenge in the kitchen...
So, I decided to see if I could make my own vegetarian version of the St. Patrick's Day classic ~ Corned Beef & Cabbage. I suppose I should have made a tried & true CB&C vegetarian recipe first, so I could have a baseline for comparison...but, nope. I decided to plunge in with both hands & tackle it on my own. After doing a bit of research on the web, I finally got some inspiration from a 2004 post that talks about a recipe by Bryanna Clark Grogan. I then ran with some of her ideas, came up with other twists of my own & created a recipe unlike any others I have seen. I must say, I was impressed with how good it turned out. The 'vegan corned beef' does have a similar taste to traditional meaty corned beef, because of the corned beef pickling spice mix I used. It doesn't have the same texture as the real deal, but how could it? It's not made of meat, it's made of homemade seitan, but it does have a nice, meaty firmness when you take a bite. When I served it with the veggies, traditional horseradish sauce & spicy mustard, I felt like I had hit the vegetarian/vegan Corned Beef & Cabbage jackpot!
Now, all that being said, I will tell you that the flavor/aroma of the cooking broth is exactly like it is when I make regular Corned Beef & Cabbage, using real beef broth & spices. Amazing since I didn't use any 'mock broth' ~ at all. And let me tell you, when you cook your potatoes, carrots, onion & cabbage in the broth, it REALLY gives you the full taste experience of eating the real thing. As a full dinner, with all the sides, I give it an A+. I think that was the best surprise of all!
I hope you give this Meatless Monday dish a try ~ maybe for your vegetarian / vegan St. Patrick's Day celebration, or maybe just for a regular dinner. It really is not too much trouble to make & I think it would be a versatile addition to your vegetarian recipe box. Tomorrow, I think I'll make a Reuben Sandwich, out of the leftovers. Can't wait to give that sandwich a vegetarian makeover, too!
Vegan Corned Beef & Cabbage
serves 4-6DRY MIXTURE
1 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp Penzeys Whole Corned Beef Spice ~ ground fine, in spice grinder
1/8 tsp dry English mustard powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup oatmeal ~ ground fine, after measuring
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
WET MIXTURE
1/2 cup pickled beet juice, from canned
3 slices canned pickled beet
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Braggs Amino Acids
1/2 tbsp liquid smoke
1/4 cup red kidney beans, drained
1/4 cup water (optional, when kneading)
BROTH
12 cups water
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
1/2 cup pickled beet juice, from canned
2 tbsp Penzeys Whole Corned Beef Spice, left whole
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp liquid smoke
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup wine (optional)
1) bring all broth ingredients to a boil & then reduce to a simmer
2) blend all dry ingredients, in large bowl, until fully mixed
3) blend wet mixture in food processor, until smooth, strain & add water to get to 1 cup add to dry mixture, stir to combine
4) add the leftover strained wet mixture solids to the broth
5) knead strained wet & dry mixture together for approx 5-10 minutes, until the gluten strands start to form ~ add additional water if needed when kneading
6) shape into a loaf & place in disposable 8x4 aluminum loaf pan
7) carefully place loaf pan, filled with the 'corned beef' mixture, in the pot of simmering broth make sure loaf pan is completely covered with broth (add water if needed to cover fully)
8) cover pot & simmer for 90 minutes ~ do not let boil ~ flip the 'corned beef' over, keeping it inside the aluminum pan, every 30 minutes
9) when done, let 'corned beef' cool in broth & then put in fridge ~ allow to sit in broth overnight
WHEN READY TO EAT ~
1) cook the cabbage, carrots, potatoes & onions in most of the saved broth, until tender
2) just before the veggies are done, slice the 'corned beef' & simmer in a separate pan, in the remaining broth ~ until heated through ~ serve with horseradish sauce & spicy mustard ~ add salt & pepper to taste *
* if you want an even stronger 'corned beef spice' flavor, finely grind up some extra Whole Corned Beef Spice & sprinkle over the Corned Beef just before eating. Yummy!
Enjoy!