November 29, 2008

Seitan: don't have to pronounce it to love it


When I started cutting meat and processed foods out of my diet there were a few lessons to be learned. Like, how on earth will I live without cheese? Wait, what's wrong with white rice? And what the he** is seitan? Sounds devilish and awful.

I'm still not a seitan connoisseur...I buy it in a box at Whole Foods instead of making my own. And I've only used it a handful of times. But boy OH BOY was this last time awesome! Seitan, for those of you who haven't tried it, is a meat substitute made from wheat gluten. Gluten allergies, back off and try this recipe with tempeh instead!! (Now what the he** is tempeh?...and the learning goes on and on...)

In any case, please please try the very delicious Braised Seitan with Brussels, Kale, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes straight from Veganomicon. I paired with a sweet potato mash of my own concoction:

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
3 lbs. any variety sweet potatoes (I used the kind that have light-colored flesh, somewhere between a white potato and a truly orange yam color)
Butter or oil to taste
Splash of soymilk to desired consistency

1. Chop potatoes into equal size pieces and cover with water in large pot. Bring to boil and let simmer until very tender. Cooking time will vary with potato variety and size of pieces. Mine took about 20 minutes.

2. Strain potatoes and put them back in the large pot. Using a fork, mash potatoes. This should go quickly and be very easy if they are cooked long enough. Add butter or oil to taste and add soymilk as needed to create desired consistency. S&P to taste.

3. Spoon seitan recipe over potatoes and serve. Squeal with delight!

10 comments:

Jenn said...

Okay, time to school me...how do you pronounce seitan? :)

Michelle said...

Jenn--ha! I don't have a clue! it's one of those words I just avoid saying as much as possible. I usually awkwardly call it "Say-tan" if I'm forced into speaking it aloud.

Lori said...

How cool! I've never heard of it before. Fortunately I'm fine with gluten. Thanks for the new ideas to experiment with.

Erica said...

Beautiful recipe! I have never tried this! Thanks for the wonderful comment on my blog! Your mom sounds like she rocks!

Anonymous said...

OMG - I haven't stopped by in while - so glad I did as you have all kinds of new yummy stuff (and I am a Lululemon addict!). This looks so good.

I'll have something posted that you can eat made with tempeh.

Happy Holidays!

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

I refuse to call it SAYTAN... I still pronouce it see-tin. I don't care if people think I'm some dumbass. lol.

Soemtimes I'll just say wheat gluten. :)

I'm not sure if your recipe is work for word from the book, if it is - thats illegal to paste it (fyi)

Darya Pino said...

i have to admit michelle, i've never met a fake meat i've liked. maybe next time i'm at whole foods i'll be brave and throw it in the cart!

Michelle said...

Lori--let me know if you end up trying it!

Erica--thanks for stopping by! my mom does rock :-)

lifeinrecipes--glad to see you again!

happyherbivore--whew...it's not word for word!

darya--it's not like tofurky, promise :-)

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Hi Michelle, I saw your comment on my blog - I have been lactose intolerant my entire life, and the soy and wheat/gluten aggravate my Crohn's Disease. I've been tested by doctors, which led to my allergy diagnoses.

Anne Wolfe Postic said...

Ahhhh...I've been thinking about cleaning up my diet. We eat meat, albeit local and free range, but one of my children is a vegetarian. I forgot how much I loved Seitan. I prepare it with udon noodles,green onions, broccoli, edamame, ginger, garlic and sesame oil.