I ended up doing one of my go-to dinners last night. That’s what happens when I realize that the chickeny cutlets from the Every Day Dish dvd won’t be out of the oven until after 6 and I just want some dinner and to relax. There are a few recipes I consistently make: tempeh reubens, some of the lolo testers, some of the VwaV standbys, but I really like to cook something new every day. Some of the best advice I’ve ever read about cooking was to just do it (not to sound like a nike commercial here) but trying to sound like Tofu666 who said it to Jess who put it in Herbivore. This is sounding like one of those nursery rhymes about a crooked man or a lady who swallowed a fly. Ewwwww.
This go- to dinner is a take off on pepper steak, seitan with red wine or just any old stir fry. The first time I ever had seitan, I sauted it with onions, peppers and mushrooms and this isn’t much different, just with a sauce. To be fancy, I’m calling it Glazed Seitan. Oooh la la. So much classier.
Glazed Seitan
8 oz seitan, cut in chunks (oops, I mean ‘cubes’. Classier, right?)
1/2 onion, sliced in thin 1/2 moons, then into 1/4 moons
1/4 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup red pepper strips, cut lengthwise then in 1/2
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (your choice of kinds)
1/2 cup broth
1 cup red wine (combine these two how you want, just so you get 1 1/2 cups liquid)
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce (I use lolo’s – it’s a tester and fabulous!)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 Tbsp arrowroot (this makes a shinier sauce than cornstarch)
herb blend of choice (1 tsp tarragon, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp herbes de provence)
black pepper
Brown the seitan in a bit of oil, then remove from frying pan. Saute the onions and celery until the onions are translucent. Add red pepper and garlic, being careful not to burn the garlic. Cook a few more minutes, then add the mushrooms. Cook until they are just starting to soften a little, then add the herbs and seitan. Stir to combine then deglaze the pan with part of the liquid mixture. Let reduce by about 1/2, then stir in the worcestershire, vinegar and tamari. Add the arrowroot and stir until slightly thickened. This will be a thinner sauce rather than thick. Adjust seasonings and keep warm until ready to serve.
We usually have it over a flat noodle with roasted vegetables on the side. If this sounds like your kind of thing, be sure to check out the Seitan with Black Pepper,Red Wine and Green Beans over at get sconed!
Remembering the first time I had seitan reminded me of the last time I had meat. It was at a time we had no money and somehow got $10. We were sick and tired of eating potatoes and drinking coca-cola and actually went to KFC, which was then called Kenny King’s in Ohio. I got a chicken sandwich and onion rings… took one bite and realized I was eating skin and muscle of what was once a living being. I have no idea why the light went off so brightly that day when we’d hardly been eating any meat any way, but it was blinding. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
I’m still thinking about those Bordeaux style cookies, which taste good but are soft. According to All Recipes cookie advice, I need to shake up my ingredients a little. For example, all brown sugar in a cookie makes a softer cookie because it retains more moisture. If you can disregard all the dairy and egg shiitake advice, some of the info is good. I’m going to give it another try. Stay tuned.
Much to my surpise, Isa posted one of pics on her blog. It’s the Seitan Piccata from Veganomicon and is one of the most gourmet meals I’ve ever eaten. Thanks, Isa!
