Simple Seitan

Seitan chop suey with sprouts,  green peas,  scallions and water chestnuts.

Seitan is my favorite of the Vegan Meat Trifecta (tofu, tempeh, and seitan). It has a very meaty, chewy taste and can be substituted for meat in most omnivorous recipes. 

You can buy it pre-made in health food stores/ whole foods but it is also quite easy to make it yourself! 

Ingredients:
-1 C Vital Wheat Gluten
-3 Tbs nutritional yeast
-1/2 C veggie broth
-2 Tbs soy sauce
-2 Tbs lemon juice
-1 Tbs olive oil
-2 cloves (1 heaping tsp) garlic, minced

For the broth:
-4 C veggie broth
-4 C water
-2 Tbs soy sauce

Optional chicken seasoning:
-¼ tsp onion powder
-¼ tsp garlic powder
-¼ celery seed, ground between your hands
-1 tsp parsley, rubbed between your hands
-dash sage
-dash thyme
-dash marjoram
-dash mint

1. Mix broth ingredients in a large pot. Bring to boil, then drop to a simmer, as you complete the following steps.
2. Mix all dry seitan ingredients in a large bowl, and all wet/damp ingredients in a small bowl.

3. Pour wet into dry, stirring continuously, until well mixed and all moisture absorbed.

4. Knead pretty much until you can't anymore or 3 min, whichever comes first. Roll it into a bit of a log and slice into thirds. Press these chunks a little bit.

5. Place seitan chunks in simmering broth, and partially cover. Simmer for 45 minutes, turning every 15.
6. Remove from heat, let sit 15 minutes or so.

7. Move to strainer with a slotted spoon, and allow to dry for 10 min or so.

8. If I plan to use the seitan for sandwiches, at this point I also pan fry it as a final step in a little olive oil, just enough to firm up the outside a bit.

But what about the optional chicken seasoning?
Right! The other great thing about making your own seitan is you can flavor it however you like. The optional chicken seasoning can be added to the dry ingredients to give your seitan a "chickeny" flavor.