Seitan

I tried Seitan for the first time at a vegan resturant on the upper east side called Candle 79. I was really impressed when I tried it. It had a very meaty texture without the fake meat taste. Now of course the seitan was cooked profesionally in a resturant with lots of other ingredients and spices, but all the same it inspired me to try it out myself.

It is apparently extremely labor intensive, but worth a try.  It tasted quite good homemade and was really cheap to make.  It also keeps in the freezer well for a long time.


Quick Homemade Gluten
(Makes 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds or 2 to 2-1/2 cups)
This is the basic recipe for gluten.
2 cups gluten flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1-1/4 cups water or vegetable stock
3 Tablespoons lite tamari, Braggs liquid amino acids, or soy sauce
1-3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (optional)
Add garlic powder and ginger to flour and stir. Mix liquids together and add to flour mixture all at once. Mix vigorously with a fork. When it forms a stiff dough knead it 10 to 15 times.
Let the dough rest 2 to 5 minutes, then knead it a few more times. Let it rest another 15 minutes before proceeding.
Cut gluten into 6 to 8 pieces and stretch into thin cutlets. Simmer in broth for 30 to 60 minutes.
Broth:
4 cups water
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
3-inch piece of kombu (a type of seaweed)
3-4 slices ginger (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring broth to a boil. Add cutlets one at a time. Reduce heat to barely simmer when saucepan is covered. Seitan may be used, refrigerated, or frozen at this point.
Total Calories per 4 oz. Serving: 77
Fat: 0 grams
http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm

Babootie

This recipe is one that my family has been using for years.  It was a favorite as a kid and thought it would be great to share with Hannah. This particular recipe is how my mother makes it, meat and all (knew I was going to have to stray from my vegan path eventually) 

To make it vegan all you do is replace the meat with ground seitan. In order to grind the seitan, place estimated equivalent of 2 lbs of meat of seitan in food processor and grind until at desired consistency.

Update: We have experimented with some other meat alternatives.  It turns out Hannah's favorite is Five Grain Tempeh in this dish.  To make it incredibly easy, just use a can or two of chick peas!

To make this recipe Hannah proof do not add apricot jam, use apple vinegar and if you use ketchup for thinning make sure it does not have corn syrup.

Babootie

(Makes about 10 servings)

2lbs ground lamb (or chicken or beef, but best with lamb)

2 chopped onions

2 chopped cloves of garlic

1 16 oz can of tomato puree

1 1/2 Tbs sugar

2 Tbs curry powder

2 Tbs vinegar

a pinch of salt

2 firm bananas

1 peeled and dices apple

1 Tbs apricot jam

1/4 c slivered almonds

tomato juice or ketchup for thinning

In large pan Brown meat, drain off fat.

Add all other ingredients, cover pan and simmer gently. Stir frequently for about 30 min. Add tomato juice or ketchup is mixture gets too thick.

When done serve over rice.