is that I always plan like 1,000 projects (and recipes) based on what I'm watching, but I never get around to it. Same with pinterest, only public television you get to see the whole project from start to finish and think "I can do that!" Hm. We got burned so bad on that with our house here, bought it thinking it needed quite a bit of fixing up because it was a foreclosure. However, the only thing I can compare this 'house remodel' to is possibly a gruesome, sadistic crime scene. Each layer got peeled back to reveal something more sinister. So although I do complete small projects involving spray paint and glue, I rarely get involved in huge projects anymore. I put in my 2 years of hell, thanks.
The child and I spent most of the day lazying around after I made homemade Belgian waffles for breakfast. I felt sick after eating all that sugar and oil (and I know I shouldn't have done it) but they are so good. O.M.G. Like you can't even BUY waffles that good. From a gourmet restaurant even. Anyways, once I was feeling a little better this afternoon, I decided that today would be the day to work on the turkey seitan. It says use a blender to mix the liquid ingredients and although I have one, I decided that I would use my food processor instead. Not a good idea. I highly recommend the blender as even with the beans in it, it's still very liquid.
I also had to research on something to make another modification. Long story short, my husband 'inherited' a Chantal 6qt pressure cooker. Literally when I found it in the cabinet in his house I had no idea what it was until I figured out how to open it and the instruction manual was still in it along with a rack and a steamer basket. The turkey seitan called for the use of a steamer, which I don't own and don't know how to replicate. I bought a collapsable steamer insert the other day at the grocery store, but the legs are only 3/4" long and I didn't think that would make for enough water to steam something for an hour and 15 min.
At the last minute today, I thought about the pressure cooker, gathering dust in the top cabinet over the stove. I tried to figure out how long to cook something like seitan, but instruction manuals are not very savvy on vegan meals. In comparison, I found something (pork loin) in the Chantal manual that said the original cook time was 75-90 minutes, and to cut the cooking time down to 25-30 minutes. I kneaded the 'dough' as required and shaped it into a log. I prepped the pressure cooker by putting it over high heat with the water and steamer basket inside and the lid loosely covering it. Once the water was boiling, I turned the heat down to medium.
I placed the foil wrapped loaf in the steamer basket and snapped the lid on. I decided to let it go for 30 minutes, but I believe 35 would have been perfect. The seitan was still a little soggy in the middle but nothing terrible. I've had worse, trust me. The texture and taste was nothing like 'turkey' but I'm sure that's because I'm newly off of meat and remember exactly what it tastes like. The actual taste was more along the lines of reheated soggy dense sourdough bread with Thanksgiving stuffing spices in it (thanks to the sage I'm sure). It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't amazing either. Not comparable to real meat (make sure you read the first blog in this series to catch my feelings on 'real' vegan stuff) no matter how hard someone really wanted it to be. Maybe comparable to the ground mystery meat in chicken nuggets texture. Only oddly sour. I think I'll be leaving the lemon juice out of it next time if I make it again.
Well my happy moment for the day came when my daughter (29 months old Aug 1) came to me and said "Mommy I godda go poddy!" while holding herself and ran off to the bathroom. She didn't even have wet panties at all! She has had days before where she would leak a little then run off to the potty, or days where she just stood there in the kitchen on the linoleum and pissed a big puddle while looking at me (I can't help but feel that although it probably was an accident, somehow it was a little hardheaded spitefulness in her as well). She has only had ONE accident all day today! So proud of my little girl! I hope by December when Princess #2 gets here we will have her potty training all down pat so I'm only changing one little person's poopie diapers.
Well, that's been my adventures for the day today. Hope everyone had a wonderful day and happy eating!! :)
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