Vegan Honey Mustard Pastrami

 Variations:

• This pastrami is very good as a cold cut to put in your sandwich. Try it with Rye sourdough, vegan mayo, fresh spinach leaves and avocado slices , I guarantee you'll love it.
• I recently discovered that if you cut thicker slices from this pastrami loaf and serve it hot with a sweet type of sauce (for example, classic cranberry sauce), you get a great tasting and fulfilling 'main course' dish.

Pastami 'steaks' served with dried fruits sauce, recipe coming soon

• Aluminum foil
• Food processor 
• Rubber spatula
• Pastry brush
• Mixing bowl
• Oven
• Scale

• 1 x 14 Oz Extra firm tofu package, drained from liquid
• 120 ml aquafaba (could be changed into tap water)
• 160 g vital wheat gluten
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp of chicken flavored soup powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 3 tsp liquid smoke
• 2.5 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper according to taste.

• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp dates honey
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1. Mix the tofu in the food processor with the aquafaba and the olive oil. Mix well until you see a smooth texture, add the wheat gluten and blend for 1 more minute.
2. Add the spices and mix well for another 2 minutes. The mixture should look well combined, It should be sticky but firm.
3. If the dough is too dry, add aquafaba/water very slowly just until the texture is right (don’t over liquify the mixture. If the dough is too wet to knead, you can add a tiny bit of wheat gluten).
4. Remove the dough from the food processor and knead for one more minute.
5. Shape the dough into a round and long sphere (like a loaf of bread), avoid leaving cracks on the loaf’s surface.
6. Prepare the glaze: In a small mixing bowl mix the glaze ingredients.
7. Prepare a sheet of aluminum on your work area, inside place a baking paper. The baking paper should be in the size of the pastrami loaf and the goal is to prevent the pastrami from touching the aluminum foil. Wetting the baking paper helps it be more flexible and easier to use.
8. Brush a third of the glaze on the baking paper, place the loaf on top of the glaze. Brush the top and the sides of the loaf. Close the baking paper on top of the loaf, then, close the foil so it seals the pastrami.
9. Place in a preheated oven to 350 F. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. Take the pastrami out, open the foil, brush another layer of the glaze and put beck in the oven for another 20- 25 minutes.
11. The pastrami will have a darker crust, allow it to cool down at room temperature.
12. Place in a sealed container and cool in the fridge for 6 hours.
13. If you like your pastrami extra sticky, you can brush another layer of glaze before serving.
14. Enjoy!