Herbed Seitan Roulade with Dried Cherry and Wild Rice Stuffing and Roasted Veggies

Did I mention how much I love Autumn?  As I type this, I'm sitting in my living room, stuffed with seasonal, local food.  A cup of Pistachio Cream tea is steeping on my coffee table, and crisp, early autumn air is breezing through the open window.  I can't wait until it gets a bit cooler so I can turn on my fireplace!  

For us Canadians, Thanksgiving is around the corner.  It was always one of my favorite holidays.  My family would congregate at both my maternal and paternal grandparents' houses...usually my Dad's parents for a late lunch, and my Mom's parents for dinner.  Mom would be up at 6 am, making pies to bring, and I'd "help" in the kitchen by taste testing everything...and then trying to convince Mom that it was terrible so she'd leave it all at home and I'd have it to myself.  (It never worked.  My mother was super crafty.)  I love pumpkin and apple pies- but my favorite thing ever was stuffing.  Both my grandmothers had wonderful stuffing...and it seemed there was never enough.  

Here's a recipe for a turkey-style seitan roulade with my favorite dressing.  Enjoy!

Herbed Seitan Roulade with Dried Cherry and Wild Rice Stuffing and Roasted Veggies

Ingredients

For the Seitan:

• 2 c vital wheat gluten
• 1/2 c nutritional yeast
• 1/4 c chickpea flour
• 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 tbsp miso
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 2 c cold veggie broth (I used vegetarian chicken style broth)
• 2 tbsp tamari

For the stuffing: 

• 4 c bread crumbs (I used ShaSha spelt crumbs)
• 2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 c wild rice, cooked and drained
• 1/2 c dried cherries, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 3 c cold veggie broth mixed with 2 tbsp tamari

For the veggies

• 3 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch thick coins
• 2 large potatoes, cubed
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1 sprig fresh theyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 c veggie broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1. Mix the chickpea flour, gluten flour, nutritional yeast, sage, poutry seasoning, and onion powder together in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, whisk together broth, tamari, garlic, lemon zest, and miso.  Pour into gluten flour mix.   Knead until the mixture is a stiff dough.  Roll it out into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.
3. Saute onions over medium heat until browned.  Mix bread crumbs, sage, poultry seasoning, onion powder, and cherries together.  Add in wild rice and sauteed onions.  Mix in the veggie broth/tamari mixture.  
4. Spread about two cups of stuffing on the seitan, leaving a 1-inch space on each side.  You won't use all of the stuffing here- that's okay, there's extra for serving on the side. Roll the seitan up, and place it seam side down into a greased roasting pan.  Dump in the 2 cups of veggie broth, then arrange veggies around the roast.  Top with rosemary and thyme sprigs.
5. Cover tightly and bake for 1 and a half-2 hours, until roast is firm to the touch and veggies are tender.  Serve with the extra stuffing on the side (heat it up in the microwave or in a small pot over the stove), and your favorite gravy.  Enjoy!

What's your favorite Thanksgiving meal?