Cheesy Quinoa and Seitan Casserole

There is A LOT going on with this recipe, but trust me, it is SOOO filling and SOOO good!  We have been working a lot lately, so when we get home we are HUNGRY.  Enter this rich, creamy, and protein packed casserole that is absolutely bursting with flavor.  I can honestly say this is one of my most favorite recipes I've every come up with.  

Cashew cheese was pretty much the catalyst that made me fall in love with vegan cooking.  I had cashew cheese on a sandwich in a vegan restaurant one day and I thought, I want to learn how to make that!  Since then I've fallen in love with cashew cheese sauce, or nut cheese as we jokingly call it, but I always feel a little guilty knowing how much fat are in cashews, albeit the good kind.  I sought out to cut my standard cheese sauce recipe from one full cup of cashews to half a cup in order to make the recipe more fat friendly friendly for a two serving portion because I knew it was already going to be very rich.  Throwing quinoa and seitan into the mix packs this casserole full of plant based protein while the flavorfully seasoned cheese sauce brings it all together.  Feel free to omit the hot sauce if you are really nervous about it, but trust me, it really adds to the flavor and there's so much else going on that it isn't enough to make your mouth burn.

TIP:  This is also really good and faster on it's own without the onion topping, but if you really want that rich comfort food effect, go for the extra effort!

Without and With the Crispy Fried Onion Topping

TIP:  Try making a big batch of seitan cutlets at once to always have some on hand and take some of the prep work out of this recipe.  They freeze really well!  After steaming them, allow to cool for an hour or two in the fridge.  Individually wrap each cutlet tightly in foil and place in an airtight container or bag in the freezer.  If you are really pressed for time or don't like making your own seitan, any store-bought seitan cutlet will do.

Ingredients
Serves 2

• Cheese Sauce Ingredients
• 1/2 c raw cashews, soaked for 2+ hours and drained
• 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric 
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• several grinds of freshly ground black pepper
• 2 T nutritional yeast
• 1 T hot sauce
• 1/2 c veggie broth

• 1 seitan cutlet, sliced into small, thin slices
• 3/4 c quinoa
• 1.5 c water or veggie broth
• olive oil
• reduced sodium soy sauce, 

• Crispy Fried Onion Topping 
• 1 T coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
• 1/4 c bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp italian seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. First, add one and a half cups of water or vegetable broth to a small pot and stir in the quinoa.  Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed.  About 10-15 minutes.
3. While the quinoa is cooking make the cheese sauce by first blending the soaked and drained cashews together until smooth and creamy.  Add in all remaining cheese sauce ingredients and blend until completely mixed and smooth.
4. In a medium skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the seitan and cook for about 7 minutes or until the seitan is slightly crispy and browned.  Use a wooden spatula to break up the seitan into small pieces while it cooks, almost like the texture of a philly cheese steak.
5. Sprinkl about a tablespoon of soy sauce over the seitan.  Stir and cook for about 2 minutes more.
6. Once the quinoa is done cooking combine it in a mixing bowl with the cheese sauce and seitan.  Stir to mix evenly.
7. Pour into two oven safe ramekins or a small casserole dish and bake for 10 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, heat another tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet over medium high heat and add the onions.  Cook for about 7 minutes until softened and browned.  
9. Add the bread crumbs, italian seasoning, and a few dashes of hot sauce and stir to coat the onions evenly.
10. Cook for about another two minutes, stirring very frequently.  You want the onions to be coated and the the loose breadcrumbs to be toasted but not burned.
11. Just as your onions are finished cooking the ramekins should be ready to come out of the oven.  Split the onion and breadcrumb mixture evenly over the tops of the two dishes and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.