Hey lovelies – today is the day: I’ll show you the main course to my vegan Christmas menu 2019! I prepared a super delicious vegan roast. But not just any Christmas roast, no, a really juicy, wonderful vegan “roastbeet”. Yes, exactly. The consistency, taste and color of this vegan Christmas roast is a bit like “Rostbeef”. Your guests will not believe that this roast is vegan. Look how wonderful it looks. It has a great firm consistency and harmonizes perfectly with gravy, dumplings and red cabbage.
The ingenious thing about this Christmas roast is not only its consistency and taste, but also the fact that it is very easy to prepare with just a few ingredients. I serve it with braised red cabbage with apples, delicious potato dumplings and an incredibly delicious vegan gravy.
At the request of many readers, I prepared the gravy without mushrooms. In order to keep the list of ingredients for this main course simple and the recipe description short, I have publish side dishes and the awesome gravy in separate recipe articles. Just click on the following recipes and they will each open in a separate window: Braised red cabbage with apples, vegan potato dumplings, vegan gravy. All side dishes as well as the Christmas roast itself can be prepared very well the day before. That’s how I’ll do it this year. I cook the braised red cabbage, dumplings and the gravy already 1-2 days before the Christmas dinner and warm up side dishes and gravy before the festive gathering starts. The roast also tastes best if it is left in the fridge for a day. So you as host and cook can enjoy Christmas Eve completely stress-free (for example I have 8 guests this year). I think that’s very important. Because after all, the get-together of family and friends on Christmas and/or the holidays is the best thing ever and the cook should not be in the kitchen all the time or even stressed. No, ALL should enjoy!
So I wish you a wonderful feast Christmas feast with your loved ones, a lot of pleasure and joy! Merry Christmas & thank you for being part of the “Veggies Family”, yours Lea.
"Roastbeet" - An insanely good vegan roast
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. vegetable bouillon powder
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 tsp. dark miso paste
- 1 red onion
- 2 tsp. vegetable oil
- 100 g (3.5 oz) beetroot (a small tuber or half a tuber)
- 100 g (3.5 oz) cooked kidney beans
- 250 g (8.8 oz) gluten powder (in Germany called "Seitanfix")
- 60 g (roasted) chickpea flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. paprika powder
- 1 small tsp. chili powder or pepper
- 1 pinch of smoked paprika powder
- 1 small tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp. vegetable bouillon powder
- A small bunch of thyme
- 1 tsp rebelled marjoram
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2-3 sprigs rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 °C/392 °F circulating air/fan. Heat 400 ml water (in a kettle) and mix with 1 tbsp vegetable stock powder, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp dark miso paste. Keep this ready for further use (does not need to be kept warm).
- Peel onions, dice finely and fry with 1-2 tsp. oil in a pan for a few minutes until golden brown. Wash a small beetroot, cut off the ends, chop and puree in a blender together with the roasted onions.
- Rinse the kidney beans under water and add to your blender. Puree the beans together with the beetroot and the onions.
- Put the gluten powder in a bowl. Mix the gluten powder with chickpea flour, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. paprika powder, 1 tsp. chili powder, a pinch of smoked paprika powder, 1 small tsp. garlic powder and 2 tsp. vegetable stock powder.
- Add the bean paste and fold in loosely with a fork or spoon. Add the leaves of 5-6 sprigs of thyme and 1 tsp. of marjoram.
- Mix 180 ml water (please measure exactly!) with 1 tbsp apple vinegar, 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp miso paste, add this liquid to the guten powder and knead a dough. Fold the dough repeatedly and gently pull with your hands so that the roast gets a tough structure with some "surface tension".
- The next step is very important to keep the roast in shape and close the "outer pores": Heat 2 tbsp. vegetable oil in a pan and fry the roast for about 3-4 minutes all around. I hold the roast laterally with two spatulas and in shape (I press it a little together) and turn it further and further in the pan, so that it sears really well from all sides. This solidifies the surface of the roast and it will keep its beautiful shape.
- Pour some of the broth prepared at the beginning into a casserole dish into which the roast fits. Place the roast in the casserole dish and add 1-2 sprigs of rosemary and plenty of thyme. Pour a little broth over the roast or brush onto it.
- Let the vegan roast cook on the middle shelf at 200 °C/392 °F circulating air/fan for about 40-45 minutes. Important: repeatedly pour the broth over the roast or brush it with broth. The base of the casserole dish should always be lightly covered with broth during baking.
- Do not cut the "roastbeet" immediately after baking, but let it cool down a little. The consistency is best when it rests covered in the fridge for one night. Heat the roast again in the oven and brush it with a little broth.
Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy a wonderful meal.
