Vegan Poutine

When I talked about eating poutine in Montreal and said I would make a vegan version, I didn't know it would happen this soon. I guess I was really motivated to eat a bunch of potatoes and gravy and tofu cheese curds!

I topped my fries with the sage gravy from Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food rather than the traditional beef-based brown gravy. If I looked harder I might have been able to find some brown gravy mix that didn't contain beef fat, or make my own, but honestly, brown gravy was not doing it for me at the poutine cafe. It didn't seem to have much flavor besides salt. (If you have a recipe that will change my opionion of brown gravy, hook me up!) And when I'm making something in my own kitchen, my tastebuds win out over authenticity. This is why I also added vegan sausage, onion, and green peppers to my poutine.

Vegan Poutine

First, make the "cheese curds," preferably the day before.

8 oz. firm tofu, drained, pressed, and crumbled
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt

In a small storage container with a lid, combine the lemon juice, oil, and salt. Gently mix in your crumbled tofu. Marinade overnight (or at least a couple hours). When you are ready to use it, rinse the tofu under warm water in a colander. This will rinse off most of the marinade, but the tangy "cheese" flavor will remain.

Now make your other components.

5 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into French fry shapes
2 links of your favorite seitan sausage (store bought or homemade), thinly sliced
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced

Roast the potatoes at 425 degrees F for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, saute the sausage in a little oil and set aside. Then, in the same pan, saute the green pepper and onion. Finally, make a vegan gravy of your choosing.

When the potatoes are done, mound some on a plate. Top with the green pepper and onion mixture, some pieces of sausage, a handful of tofu curds, and ladle some gravy on top.  Bon appétit!