Have No Fear...

comfort food is here! I've been wanting to cook something hearty for a while now, but the weather had not been cooperating. This weekend it's supposed to rain, so that was the green light I needed to get a stew going. I also could not wait to try another seitan recipe from Vegan Diner so I paired the "Chicken Style Seitan Roast" with the "Veggies and Dumplings". Total success! I am really in love with this book and I have the ppk to thank for it. I bought it purely based off their rave reviews and I am so glad I did. If you haven't already bought it for yourself or your favorite vegan cook, the holiday gift giving season is fast approaching!

I made the seitan first since that takes a little over an hour to steam. I should have started earlier since I forgot it also should cool and be refrigerated before it gets cut. I used the hour to chop all my veggies for the soup and get the remaining ingredients ready. What I really like about this book is that the ingredient lists are very short, but there is absolutely no loss of flavor. I am used to putting way more spices/seasonings in soups but this one only had salt, pepper and parsley and trust me, it was enough. I did not have to adjust this recipe at all, yay! The only thing I did cheat at was to add more veggies than specified. I do that on every recipe though.

I have only made a "chicken" and dumplings type stew one other time and while I did enjoy that one, this will be my go-to recipe from now on. I am so excited I can finally make my own seitan that I can't imagine using frozen "chicken" pieces instead. I bow to Julie Hasson in thanks. My days of seitan fails are way past me. Now I have to try all the other recipes that feature the steaming method. I may try baking as well, but for now I prefer to get steamy.

Vegan Mofo V Day 11 - My Steamy Love Affair With Seitan (and Reuben too!)

I've never had much luck with seitan. Of the five or six times I've tried to make it, I've had a single success somewhere around attempt number three. I don't know whether I am kneading too much or not enough. Should I have flipped it over more times in the pot? Maybe the flame was too low? I don't need to wonder about the answers to these questions any longer. I also don't need to knead anything, now that I've finally wised up and tried Julie Hasson's method of steaming seitan. If you're late to the game like I was, don't hesitate any longer, get into it!

Since I've never steamed anything other than vegetables I was freaking out that I would mess this up. I tend to obsess about directions and wonder whether or not I am doing it right. To calm myself down and get an idea of what to expect I watched a video of the author making some sausages. It looked so easy I couldn't believe I was actually scared of seitan. How silly of me!


There are so many recipes I want to make from Vegan Diner but since it's "Sandwich Week", I had to go for the "Rockin' Reubens". While the "Pastrami-Style Seitan Roast" was steaming I made the "Very Secret Sauce", do chua for the next sammich on the schedule, and did the dishes. I had planned on making "Garlic Mashers" as well,  but due to my reading/napping break earlier in the day I was way off task. I might make them later in the week to go with my philly.

Instead of putting cheese on my reubens, I like to put avocado. Today I put more than usual since there was no one else to share it with and I didn't want to waste. So yes, there is a whole avocado on my sandwich. There is a whole lot of everything on it in fact. In my hungry haze I overloaded those two slices of bread, so it's kind of good that I served it alone. I don't think I would have had room for any potatoes after taking on this beast. I believe I've met my match!

Vegan Mofo IV Week Two: Hail Seitan

I tried making seitan a few years ago and it didn't work.I kept buying more vital wheat gluten in hopes of trying again, but I never did until yesterday. I was still nervous as to what would happen, but I knew if I just took my time and followed the directions it should be fine. I made the Simple Seitan from Veganomicon since it's the bible, and it claimed to be easier than the VWAV recipe.

After I got it all kneaded and threw it in the pot, I did the dishes, relaxed and hoped for the best. Then I took the dog for a walk while it cooled down. I wasn't sure what recipe I would use it for so I didn't cut it up, just stored it in the broth until I made up my mind. Later on, I flipped through cookbooks to find something to make with my new masterpiece. I chose the Breaded Seitan Nuggets from Table for Two,  knowing I would be short on time this morning and I could feed them to my niece for lunch tomorrow.

The nuggets turned out great. I ate more than the one or two I thought I would test before putting them away for another day. I tried them with barbecue sauce and ketchup, and it pains me to say this, but they tasted so much better with ketchup. My niece tried a few after school and  rated them 7 out of 10. She is a tough judge.

Now that I'm not afraid of seitan, I want to try more recipes, like the Almost All American Seitan Pot Pie. I would have done it today, but I was already making Tempeh-Oatmeal Meatloaf. We'll save some heartiness for the weeks to come.