Seitan – probably my favorite meat substitute.  Why?  It’s highly nutritious and very economical. It is also low in fat, cholesterol-free, very high in protein, and a good source of iron – and it tastes delicious!  Sometimes, I will use store-bought seitan, such as West Soy, but  I much prefer to make it from scratch.  It is simple to do, and although it does take some time, most of that time is not working time, but just waiting time.  It only takes about 15 minutes of actual prep time and the rest of the time, it is just on the stove simmering and then cooling.  Once you get in the habit of making it, you will see how very easy it is.  I make a double batch every week.  One half I use for a dinner, such as this one, and the other half I slice thin and marinate in spices and pickle and beet juice in the fridge to use for sandwiches (tastes and looks like cold cuts).  It also freezes really well.  So, I hope you enjoy this recipe and that it inspires you to try the one below for homemade seitan.

Raspberry Balsamic Seitan

•  One recipe seitan (below) or 4 boxes West Soy seitan
• 2 t olive oil
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 t thyme
• 1 t salt, divided
• 2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves
• 4 T balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion.  Sprinkle thyme and 1/2 t salt on the seitan.  Once the onion is translucent, add the seitan slices, seasoned side down, on top of the onions.  Cook 5 minutes on each side.  Remove seitan.  Reduce heat to low and add preserves, vinegar and 1/2 t salt.  Cook a few minutes to heat through.  Spoon over seitan and serve.

OMG best seitan ever – this is essentially the same recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vegan with a Vengeance, with just a few changes.  All Isa’s cookbooks are incredible!!

BASIC SEITAN RECIPE

• 2 c vital wheat gluten
• 2 T flour
• 1/4 c nutritional yeast
• 1 c vegetable broth
• 1/2 c soy sauce
• 1 t ketchup
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 T chickpea flour
• for the broth – 9 c water, 3 c vegetable broth, and 1/2 cup soy sauce

In a large bowl, combine the 3 first ingredients.  In another bowl, combine the next 4 ingredients.  Pour the wet into the dry and mix with your hands and knead for until all incorporated.  Knead in the chickpea flour.  Let dough rest for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix the broth ingredients in a large pot, but do not heat yet.  Roll the dough into a 10” log and cut into 6 pieces.  Place the pieces into the cold broth.  Partially cover and turn the heat to high.  Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 90 min. to 2 hours.  Remove from heat and let cool in pan for another hour if you have the time.  At this point, you can use the seitan, store in the broth in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for later.  I usually cut each of the 6 pieces into 3 cutlet size pieces for a recipe like the one above.

It seems coconut oil and coconut milk are all the rage these days.  Thought to help with many ailments (eczema, heart disease and most recently Alzheimers, to name a few) and also great for your skin and hair.  I love coconut milk in my cereal, I love it for baking, and tonight, I decided to try to cook with it and the result was a delicious meal that we all enjoyed!  I added only a tiny amount of curry because my kids are not huge fans, but feel free to add a lot more, to your liking.  I served this coconut tempeh over coconut rice (when you make your rice, just add coconut milk in place of half the water) and it’s all gone!!  A great, fast, fragrant and yummy meal!

Coconut Tempeh – serves 6-8

• 1 T olive oil
• I large onion, sliced
• 3 T earth balance spread
• 3 packages tempeh, cubed (Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans and is usually found near the tofu in the refrigerated section of most stores.  It has a higher nutritional content than tofu, is more easily digested, and has a nutty, savory flavor)
• 3 c fresh green beans, chopped (or whatever vegetable you prefer – broccoli, green peppers, peas, etc.)
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1 t onion powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t curry powder
• 1 13 oz. can coconut milk
• peanuts for garnish

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent.  Add earth balance and when melted, add the tempeh.  Cook the tempeh to brown it a bit.  Next add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and curry powder.  Stir well.  Add green beans and the coconut milk.  Reduce heat to low and cover.  Simmer for 10 – 15 minutes.

Well, today’s recipe certainly would not win any contest for looks.  Trying to get an enticing photo of it was a bit tough so I opted for this close-up.  However, what it may be lacking in looks, it more than makes up for in taste and ease.  This dish only takes as long as it takes to make the pasta.  It’s really that simple, and with a salad on the side, it’s a fast, nutritious, delicious meal. 

Swedish “Meat”balls – serves 6-8

• 1 16 oz. package pasta – I used rombi, which can be hard to find, but in its place you can use lasagne noodles, not the no-boil but the regular, and then cut it into pieces after its cooked, or use any type of pasta you like.
• 2 T earth balance spread
• 5 garlic cloves, pressed
• 3 T flour
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 2 c vegetable broth – I love Trader Joe’s organic, low sodium vegetable broth for this recipe because it adds a nice, golden color
• 1 c nondairy sour cream
• 3 bags gardein beefless tips – more and more I am finding gardein products in the freezer section of many large supermarket chains, such as Shoprite and Acme
• 2 T chopped parsley for garnish

Take the gardein tips out of the freezer.
Cook the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, melt the earth balance in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Once melted, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the flour, 1 T at a time, stirring constantly, and let cook another 2 minutes.  Slowly add the broth, stirring constantly.  Add the salt and onion powder and turn heat to low.  Let cook 5 minutes to thicken.
Stir in the mock sour cream.
Add the beef tips to the sauce and heat through.
Once pasta is ready, combine the sauce with the “meat”balls and the pasta in a large bowl.  Top with chopped parsley.

Tofu Piccata

There are so many ways to serve tofu, and this one happens to be a favorite with my family.  It’s a favorite of mine too because I always have all the ingredients in my fridge and pantry.  Every time I make it, I remember how much I used to hate dipping food in egg before I became vegan.  My hands would get thickly coated with gunk and I would have to stop and wash them constantly, and I was always washing the counters down for fear of salmonella.  I never enjoyed using raw eggs.  Now, a breaded recipe is a cinch to prepare and I never mind doing it.  It’s neat and clean and a pleasure.  The breadcrumbs stick perfectly thanks to the dijon and oil and the lemon juice adds a nice flavor.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Tofu Piccata – serves 6

• 2 pkgs extra firm tofu
• juice from 2 lemons and a third lemon sliced
• 2 T olive oil and more for sauteing
• 2 T dijon mustard
• 1 c plain breadcrumbs
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 1 T earth balance spread
• 3/4 c white wine
• 2 jars capers, drained
• handful chopped parsley

• In a small bowl, whisk 2 T olive oil with the dijon and the juice of 1 lemon.
• In another small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the salt, garlic powder and onion powder.
• Drain the tofu.  Place each block on its side and slice into 4 large, thin pieces so that each piece is the same dimensions as the block, just thinner.  Then cut each piece in half, so each block will give you 8 pieces, and you will have 16 total pieces.
• Dip each piece into the dijon mix and then into the crumb mix.
• Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Use a small amount of olive oil and saute each piece until golden brown on both sides.
• Remove the tofu from the pan.
• While the pan is still on the heat, add the earth balance.  Once melted, add the capers, the juice of another lemon, and the white wine.  Turn the heat up to medium high and cook for a few minutes to burn out the alcohol.
• Add the lemon slices and parsley to the pan and just heat through.
• Spoon sauce over tofu.