Veggie Roast Scallopine with Red Wine Sauce

I don't know is Scallopine is the right word to use to describe this dish but it is close enough I guess. A few months ago, the local supermarket had Santarium's VeggieRoast on special, so I grabbed a box and it sat in my fridge until the weather was cool enough to have a big hot meal.

This is what it looks like in the box at the supermarket.

I'm not a fan of fake meats but I thought I would give this a go. It was nice but it really appreciated the sauce. DO loved the sauce and would like me to make the sauce again, to see if it goes well with vegie patties.

Anywho, I served this with crumbed eggplant, mashed potatoes and grean beans and the sauce went well with both the mashed potato and the eggplant.

Vegie Roast Scallopine with Red Wine Sauce

Scallopine

1/2 480 gram loaf of Sanitariums Veggie Roast
1/4 cup plain flour
1 sachet tomato flavoured instant soup mix
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Red Wine Sauce

1 generous cup sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 'beef' flavoured massil vegetable stock cube
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine
2 tabs cornflour
1/2 cup water (extra)

Slice the roast into half a centimetre thick slices. They are what I called scallopine. Mix flour and tomato soup mix in a plastic bag and coat the roast slices, place the roast scallopine in the flour and coat well.

Mix the cornflour with cold water and set aside. You may not need all of this mixture, as it depends on how thick or thin you want your sauce.

Crumble the stock cube into the 1/2 cup water, whisk with a fork to make sure the cube is desolved in the water and then set aside.

Over medium, heat the 1/4 cup oil in a frying pan. Add the crushed garlic and mushrooms. Stirfry until the mushies are starting to soften and then remove from the pan. The mushrooms will have soaked up a lot of the oil but if there is any left, you won't need to add as much oil for cooking the scallopine. Add the 1/4 cup oil to the pan and when it is hot, place the floured slices of vegie roast, into the hot oil. They wont need a lot of cooking, just a few minutes on each side to brown and heat. Carefully remove the slices and set aside.

Whisk the red wine into the pan to deglase the pan. (That is to remove all the stuff that has burnt and stuck on the bottom of the frypan). Whisk in the stock cube and water. Slowly dribble in some of the cornflour mixture and whisk until the sauce is the desired thickness. Return the mushrooms to the pan and stir to make sure they are all coated in the sauce. Then carefully add the scallopine and reheat for five minutes.

Creamy Mushrooms

I am sure that I read this recipe on Bryanna Clark Grogans wonderful and inspiring site, Notes from the Vegan Feast Kitchen. I couldn't find it when I went to link it, so believe me, this is her recipe or at least inspired by her recipe.

DO thought it was nice but then again, he said that he would have preferred the mushrooms and onions without the sauce. I, myself, enjoyed the mushies and I used left over sour creme which was my aim for making this dish. However, I think that if I made the sour creme and left out the lemon, the sauce would have been sweeter and DO might have really taken to it. Mind you, he went to the empty pot, took a couple of slices of white bread and slopped up and gobbled down the last of the sauce.

The creamy mushrooms were served with corn fritters (frozen and cooked under the griller), Morrocan tomatoes (from a tin with a few chick peas thrown in for good measure) and steamed new potatoes.

Creamy Mushrooms

500 gms button mushrooms, roughly chopped.
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 tab vegetable oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tab dried dill
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup vegan sour creme

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or stockpot. Add the garlic, followed by the onion. Cook on low heat to sweat and sweeten the onions. Add the mushrooms and turn up the heat. Stir continually so the vegetable don't burn or stick to the bottom. Throw in the salt, dill and black pepper and stir again. Turn down the temperature to low and add the sour creme. Stir until the mixture starts to simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning if required.

Suddenly I'm a Vegan

Well, maybe not so suddenly...

I had been a vegetarian (eating dairy and the occasional egg) for over 30 years. Then I went to the doctor who found out that I have an underactive thyroid which has sent my cholesterol level into overdrive. The measure was 9.7 out of 10... which he said was dangerously high...hmmm.

He sent me to a nurse who said to cut down on cheese and chocolate as there wasn't much else I could do.

I walked out deciding that maybe a vegan lifestyle was the thing for me. I have friends overseas who are vegan and they gave me a ton of great links. I also joined the The Vegan/Vegetarian Society of Queensland and they sent me out a pack with some facts, figures and quite a few interesting recipes. I was pretty sick when I got the diagnosis so I wasn't eating much at the time, but now I am thinking more about food.

My hubby (who is now known as Dear One (DO)) and my youngest son (Dear Son, (DS) who still lives at home) are omnivores and although the son is not impressed with my vegan meals, my hubby is quite supportive...as long as he gets some meat occasionally.

DO has eaten everything that I have cooked that is vegan and while some things are 'okay' he has raved over a spicy peanut sauce I made to go with some vegie patties with I thought were bland by themselves. I made Chana Masala which I thought was heaven on earth, a Tadka Dahl, which was okay over rice and a curry. I never used to like curries or chillis but now I quite enjoy them. They reckon Chilli is good to give your metabolism a kick start and since I have gained weight becasue of the tablets I am on, I am hoping my metabolism will get a move on and I can burn it those extra kilos.

I've done a bit of research and I am doing my best to eat balanced meals. I'm not a huge fan of soy products so I they aren't going to take a huge place in my diet. I've tried one brand of soya cheese and I will survive if I never eat it again. Soya yoghurts are overly sweet and I guess they will do in a pinch when I need to get the right amount of protein.

The purpose of this blog is to keep track of some of the recipes I try, so interesting things that I have found as well as place to keep links to great vegan sites. And if I find some prepackaged foods that I enjo, I'll list them here too... For instance, I had some Belgian Truffles which are vegan. I found them in KMart just before Christmas and I finished the last one today. Yummo for vegan suitable chocolates!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I have found some great sites and blogs, whose owners kindly post photographs of the foods they make. I hope to get into that habit one day.


Here is my spicy peanut sauce recipe, which I forgot to write down the measurements as I went along...so I am guessing the levels.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon malt vinegar (I think lemon juice would have been nice if I had any)
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon chilli powder.

Stir over low heat until everything is melted together. Add more water if it is a bit dry. Adjust chilli and other sauces to taste.