Slow Cooker Seitan Roast with Vegetable Gravy

I came across this recipe on Vegan Planet, and it looked so tasty I had to try it!  It came out really well, though I did tweak a few things. Here's my version of the recipe.

Slow Cooker Seitan Roast with Vegetable Gravy

Makes 4 servings
Roast:
2 medium onions, quartered
4 medium carrots, cut into 4 inch long sections
2 medium baking potatoes, cut into 1.5" cubes
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper1 cup faux "beef" stock
2 tablespoons minced garlic 
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/4 cup "beef" stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetarian Worcestershire sauce1 tablespoon ketchup
Gravy:
reserved cooking liquid
1/2 c. milk (skim or soy)
1/4 c. flour
Spray the liner of a medium sized slow cooker with nonstick spray and add veggies. Add the salt and pepper to taste, stock, garlic, and first dose of thyme and marjoram. Using a dough hook attachment in your mixer, or in a mixing bowl, mix the vital wheat gluten, the rest of the thyme and marjoram, the garlic powder, the onion powder, 1.5 teaspoons of kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Add the "beef" stock, soy sauce, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup. Mix until the whole thing starts to get very gluten-y and smooth. Shape it into a round ball, and set aside.  Cut a piece of aluminum foil to fit your slow cooker and spray it on both sides with nonstick spray.  Place the foil on top of the veggies and the seitan dough on top of the foil.  Cook on low for 4 hours and then high for 1 hour, or until the veggies are done and the seitan springs back when you poke it.  Remove the seitan and veggies to a serving tray, and pour the leftover liquid into a small saucepan.  Add 1/2 cup of skim milk or soy milk and turn the heat on high.  While the liquid is heating, put 1/4 cup of flour in a heatproof bowl and slowly add in some of the liquid from the saucepan to make a thin liquid.  Slowly add this liquid back to the saucepan, stirring frequently, and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat until the liquid thickens.  If you like a thicker gravy you can add more flour using the method described. Slice the seitan and serve with the veggies on the side and the gravy on top. :)

Easy 100 Calorie Flavored Popcorn

Ok, now I know it may not seem like you'd need a recipe for popcorn, but until recently I had no idea that you could make popcorn in your microwave without buying the prepackaged microwave popcorn.  I'm a little leery of the prepackaged stuff since that guy got lung disease from breathing the diacetyl that is released when it's popped.
So, I found this Lifehacker article about making your own microwave popcorn, and I had to try it. Basically, all you do is dump some popcorn kernels in a brown paper bag, fold over the top and staple it shut (don't worry, the staples won't hurt the microwave).  Then just pop it in the microwave for about the same time it takes to pop a prepackaged bag of popcorn, and voila - you're done!  It seems so dumb, but I was really amazed that it worked!  So, after some experimenting, I came up with a few yummy popcorn flavoring combos.

Easy Flavored Popcorn
33 grams popcorn kernels
wet stuff: spray butter, nonstick spray, hot sauce, vinegar, or olive oil spray
dry stuff: spices (popcorn salt, cracked pepper, cajun seasoning, ranch seasoning, dry basil, etc.)

Directions:
Put the popcorn kernels in a brown paper lunch bag, fold the top over twice, and staple.  Microwave the bag of popcorn on high for approximately 2 minutes (this will vary based on what microwave you have; listen for the popping to slow to 2-3 seconds between pops).  Take the bag out CAREFULLY - the staples will be hot! Cut the top of the bag off and add your choice of wet stuff.  It's generally a better idea to spray on the wet stuff instead of just dumping it on there; popcorn is delicate stuff and it will get soggy quick.  So, if you can put your vinegar or hot sauce in a spray bottle, that's perfect; if that's not practical for you, just drip it on carefully. It works better if you add a little, then shake the bag, then add a little, shake the bag, etc. Then add your dry stuff, close the bag up and shake to distribute the dry stuff.  Here are some of the combinations that I've tried that are tasty:

- spray butter and popcorn salt
- olive oil, sea salt, and cracked pepper (this will have more than 100 calories)
- hot sauce and dry basil
- vinegar and popcorn salt
- spray butter and ranch seasoning
- spray butter and cajun seasoning