Vegan Mexican Style Stuffing and Gravy

Two years ago, I shared a traditional Mexican recipe for turkey stuffing with ground meat; this time, I tried a vegan version by using a plant-based ground-meat substitute, and the result was excellent. The idea behind this substitution is to have a stuffing as tasty as the original, to go with turkey or other poultry, but that if some of the people at the table were vegan or vegetarian, they could simply ignore the bird, with this stuffing rich and satisfying enough to stand alone as their main protein-rich dish.   Of course, I then felt the onus to also offer a vegan/vegetarian friendly gravy.

Vegan Mexican Style Stuffing –

Relleno vegano estilo mexicano

Printable recipe:  Vegan Mexican Style Stuffing

Ingredients

¾ lb (340 g) plant-based ground-meat substitute 
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 leek; washed thoroughly, roots and green top removed
2 stalks celery; washed and tops trimmed
1 clove garlic; peeled and minced
1 tbsp dry thyme
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg; preferably freshly grated
½ cup chopped nuts (such as pecans, almonds or walnuts)
1/3 cup raisins (Sultanas, or Thompson)  
1 apple (Golden delicious or Granny Smith); washed
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Slice leek and celery thinly; peel garlic; grate nutmeg; peel and chop apple.

In a wide, large pan, warm up oil over medium heat; add leek and celery and sauté until translucent; add minced garlic to the pan (photo below, left).  Continue stirring and cooking for one minute.  For this recipe, I used Beyond Beef™ (photo below, centre); add meat substitute to the pan, and break into small pieces, mixing in with the vegetables (photo below, right):

Continue cooking and stirring for another two to three minutes, then add thyme, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir to incorporate, then add raisins, nuts and chopped apples (photo below, left).  Cook for another five minutes, stirring occasionally; season with salt and pepper, and pour vinegar in the pan (photo below, right):

Stir well, and continue cooking; waiting for another five minutes before serving will allow all the flavours to meld together:

It may be left to cool down to room temperature and used as regular stuffing (photo at the end of this post), or served hot with gravy as a main dish, as shown at the top of this post.

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Vegan Gravy – Salsa gravy vegana

Printable recipe:  Vegan Gravy

Ingredients

2 tbsp margarine
3 tbsp flour
1 cup water and 1 cube mushroom or veggie bouillon OR 1 ¼ cups veggie broth
1 tsp browning caramel, or soy sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt margarine in a pot over medium heat; sprinkle flour on top and stir with an egg beater (photo below, left).  Once smooth, reduce heat to a simmer, and add browning agent (caramel or soy sauce, photo below, right):

At this point, it is important to stir vigorously and incessantly, while adding the broth, or bouillon cube and water (photo below, left).  Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and simmer, stirring constantly  until the mix is uniform and thickens, to taste (photo below, right):

This is a delicious and rich enough gravy to top a generous portion of vegan stuffing as a main dish (photo at the top of this post), and also works under the canopy of traditional gravies, perfectly dressing turkey or chicken, as shown below as A Christmas Dinner Preview:

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I am joining What’s for Dinner? Sunday Link-Up #292 with Helen @ The Lazy Gastronome.

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I am sharing my recipe at Over the Moon #254, graciously hosted by Bev @ Eclectic Red Barn, and Marilyn @ Marilyn’s Treats.

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I am also sharing this post at Farm Fresh Tuesdays Blog Hop #82 with Lisa @ The Self-Sufficient Home Acre, Melissa @ Little Frugal Homestead, Julie @ The Farm Wife, and Annie @ 15 Acre Homestead.