Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Delight

Ingredients

• 2 (1 pound) loaves multigrain bread
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 2 carrots, minced
• 2 large stalks celery, minced
• 1 onion, minced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage
• ground black pepper to taste
• 5 ½ teaspoons egg replacer (dry)
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• 2 (16 ounce) packages chicken-style seitan, cut horizontally into 1 inch thick strips
• 1 cup garbanzo bean gravy
• 1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed

Step 1

Tear the bread into 1-inch cubes and putting them in a large bowl. Leave the bread uncovered for at least 8 hours so it can dry out a bit.

Step 2

Melt the margarine in a big skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion, and cook, stirring often, until the onion softens and turns a nice golden brown—this should take about 10 minutes. Scoop the veggies into the bowl with the dried bread and season everything with parsley, sage, and pepper.

Step 3

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg replacer, water, and vegetable broth until smooth. Pour this mixture over the bread cubes and gently fold it all together so the bread soaks up the liquid evenly. Let it sit for about 30 minutes to soak in all those flavors.

Step 4

While the stuffing is soaking, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with some nonstick cooking spray.

Step 5

Brush the seitan slices with gravy on both sides and arrange them overlapping in a row right on the foil, piling them up in the middle. Take the stuffing mix and press it around the seitan to cover it completely. Wet your hands slightly and shape it into a neat oval mound.

Step 6

Roll out your pastry sheets to about 1/16-inch thick and overlap them slightly to form a large rectangle. Use a little cold water to seal the edges. Carefully drape the pastry over your stuffing mound and trim off any extra from the bottom. If you want, use the scraps to cut out fun shapes like leaves or apples and stick them onto the pastry with a dab of water.

Step 7

Pop it in the oven and bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown, which should take about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. If the pastry starts to get too dark before it’s done, just cover it loosely with foil to keep it from overbaking.