Chickwheat Cordon Bleu

It’s a blustery winter day here and my oven is begging to be used. It’s actually been in and out of functional use all week, but today it thankfully decided to cooperate. With Valentine’s day quickly approaching, it’s nice to be able to serve something a little more upscale for a nice candlelit meal. We have two kids now, so we won’t be having a candlelit meal, but the thought is nice I guess. We prefer to snuggle in bed and enjoy a pizza and movie together, with maybe a strong drink. We’ve been doing this for years now and it’s still something I look forward to.

This recipe requires a bit of preparation ahead of time, but it’s relatively intuitive. Chicken cordon bleu was never something I had prior to going vegan 8 years ago, but I feel like this is a pretty close replication. Please click through the links for my recommendations for alternatives and for prior recipes!

Ingredients:

• 1 Batch of uncooked chickwheat, split into quarters
• 6 ounces slice vegan ham, commercial or homemade
• 6 ounces vegan cheese, I recommend Follow Your Heart Smoked Gouda or homemade
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise, commercial or homemade
• 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley or 1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Divide chickwheat dough into 4 quarters and flatten each piece as much as possible. Layer several slices of ham on top of each portion of chickwheat, leaving on edge uncovered. Top with several layers of vegan cheese. Roll, and seal the edges of dough so cheese doesn’t melt out.
2. Wrap each portion in a layer of foil or parchment paper. If using parchment paper, place seam down in Instant Pot or steamer.
3. Fill bottom of steamer with 2 cups of water and place cutlets on trivet. Set Instant Pot for 90 minutes, high pressure. If using a commercial steamer, cook for same amount of time, but check water level throughout cooking.
4. Remove and let rest for up to an hour, or overnight if possible.
5. Combine breadcrumbs with onion powder and garlic powder. Coat each cutlet in vegan mayonnaise and roll in bread crumb mixture. Place in unbaked baking dish and sprinkle with parsley and vegan parmesan cheese, if desired.
6. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Tags: american, cheese, cooking, diy, food, vegan, vegan cheese, vegetarian, vegetarian food, what vegans eat