movin’ up
In the morning, V and I are moving upstairs to a larger loft apartment and instead of packing up our things post work, I decided it would be an appropriate time to tackle seitan. This lady wrote a wonderful explanation of how to make a small serving of seitan, so tonight had to be the night. I must admit, I’ve been rather apprehensive about making it since I am not the biggest fan of “faux meat.” However, I really trust Jessica’s judgement and already adore Veganomicon’s Chickpea Cutlets which feature vital wheat gluten, the main component of seitan.
I followed Jessica’s instructions and added some chives V has been growing. When he came home from work, he thought I was cooking meat, something I haven’t done in years.
The only other time I’ve tried seitan was at Candle Cafe, where I really enjoyed it in sandwich form. For dinner, I decided to switch things up and make use of the end of our farmer’s market veggies by serving it with soba noodles and the last of a pack of udon.
Kale, onion, mushroom, and bell pepper were cooked in sesame oil, rice vinegar, and tamari.Then I mixed the veggies with the noodles, seitan, and scallions to round out the simple meal we both savored.
Now we must relax before a full day of moving, World Cup watching, and V’s pre-shoot party. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Other things:
-Have you ever tried Seitan? I would love to hear some opinions and ways you like to eat it if you are a fan.
–Home design inspiration here (minimalism done right with white, green, black, and neutral) and here (such a charming home with some kitsch). Where do you go for home decor ideas? Since we are moving into a much bigger space, I am really interested in all different aesthetics right now. Do you have a certain design aesthetic? I love all types of styles and creating a mixture of industrial, natural materials, vintage, mid-century, minimalist, ethnic, etc.
A Fresh Dille 
I love setian, especially when it’s homemade! I like to marinate it in barbecue sauce, skewer it, and throw it on the grill. Yum!
For home design ideas, check out http://www.younghouselove.com/. It’s my favorite. 🙂
I have never tried seitan because it just never appealed to me for some reason. I’m sure it is pretty tasty though, otherwise so many people wouldn’t love it!
My home style is a Moroccan-Indian-ish theme. It’s taken me a really long time but I am almost 100% finished with our place. I like to collect things slowly so I don’t regret it later on! And my inspiration just comes from what I see in other people’s homes.
Good luck with the move!
i love seitan – have had it in many restaurants but have never actually cooked/prepared it myself.
I’ve never even heard of seitan. Now i’m curious….I might have to try that recipe myself.
I’m so glad you linked to Jessica’s blog. I hadn’t seen it before – it’s great!
Glad you tried it and liked it! I could understand how some might see it to be “tto meaty,” though 😉 And Jessie is right – it’s great marinated in some BBQ sauce, too.
Your meal with it looks great!
Good luck iwth the move, and have a nice weekend 🙂
Okay. I really need to make seitan. For some reason it really intimidates me, but I love eating it out!
You’re a brave one, girlie! There are so many things that I want to try my hand at making at home (bread being one of them) but I get so intimidated by the complicated process. I’m glad that you tried it, and that it worked out for you!
That being said, I’ve never actually tried seitan, and it looks so meaty that it kind of freaks me out. I can imagine V was pretty shocked at first 😉
Good luck with your move! I’m sure your new place is going to look great.
I’ve had seitan before becoming gluten free. It’s really good and flavorful to eat if you treat it just like chicken
That is my idea of the perfect meal! I LOVE seitan.
Right now, while our house isn’t exactly sparse, it doesn’t have the cozy feel of my dream place. If Anthropologie could just come in and decorate it…
Wow, super impressed with the seitan making. It’s something I’ve never quite mustered up the energy to tackle! Way to dive in 🙂
I think I had seitan, if those faux meat at chinese vegetarian stalls are seitan that is. I’m not very big on it, I prefer tempeh & tofu 🙂 I’m amazed at how you actually make your own seitan!
Though I’m far from getting my own house, I like browsing through interior deisng magazines and I’m particularly drawn to modern country-style decor. It’s haa very warm and homely feel, yet doeen’t feel too back-in-the-eighteenth-century. Good luck with your move!
i miss seitan so much. before giving up wheat i ate seitan like crazy. it was my fav non-meat product!! SO FREAKING DELICIOUS
xoxo
This is one beautiful dinner; I love the simplicity of the noodles, seitan, and greens. I have never had actual seitan, but it sounds good! Hope the moving went well. I live alone right now (for the summer) in a distant relative’s old apartment. It is actually wonderfully decorated. Lots of bright colors, flowers, bowls, and artwork. At the end of the summer though, I’ll move back into a 100 square foot dorm room. I decorate with scarves and a few little things like decorative boxes, etc. Have fun decorating! I can’t wait till I have my own apartment and can do what I want with it. 🙂
I love seitan but have not had it in years. I would just buy the packaged kinds and slice it and add it to stir fry meals. It’s probably been about eight years since I last cooked with it.
I used to adore V’con’s Chickpea Cutlets but am not such a big fan of vital wheat gluten anymore because I’ve cut back on my gluten quite a bit. I also prefer to eat whole foods and that’s why I’m the same as you on not liking meat analogs. However, seitan is so full of protein that it’s good every once and a while. My favorite combo used to be an open-faced seitan sandwich with melted mozzarella non-dairy cheese (daiya would work quite nicely).
You dinner looks so fresh! Did you use equal parts rice vinegar and tamari? I’ve wanted to experiment with rice vinegar for awhile and now you’ve completely tempted me to do so. Could we just cook together? Haha.
To reply to your comment, I live super close to the Bham farmer’s market and like it, too, but Eastern Market is just worth the drive. Although I see why you had problems in the winter (Michigan growing season isn’t winter so most things have to be sent in, but still great prices!), the summer is MUCH better. Honestly, I almost hug farmers I get so excited. Nowadays, most of the farmer’s are local and many are pesticide free. It costs a lot of money to get the actual organic certification from the government and many cannot afford it, thus the “chemical free” label. My next post is going to show some of my newest finds so make sure to check it out. I know once you see all the goodies, you’ll be an Eastern Market believer in no time!
Royal Oak or Grosse Pointe would be the closest depending on where your new place is (btw congrats on moving in with V!) When you’re out at your parents, bham has a really nice, cozy Yoga Shelter. Speaking of which, your parents must live pretty close to me because I attend Cranbrook. How cool!
Thanks for the name of the Indian restaurant. I looked at their website and would love to try them soon. I feel like they were at VegFest… hmm… that day was so fun I can’t even remember it all!
Have a lovely day!
xox
This looks great!
I have never heard of seitan before! Although I think I may have unknowingly eaten it sometime recently… this looks great though! I really want to start trying more vegan recipes.
Eating kale and world cup watching sounds amazing!! I hope you enjoyed your weekend! – Vicky (vdubb.wordpress.com)
I’ve seen seitan on menus, but never knew what it was…until now! Looks tasty, although I think I’d have to add some spices or sauce to it!
http://www.firednfabulous.com/
Seitan = wheat gluten. So not my thing. Nor is tempeh or soy really. What can I say, anything that’s really in the texture/flavor that resembles meat, not for me. Well, tofu is ok but i am so picky on the texture that the only place I love is WF’s and until I can duplicate that at home, I dont make it 🙂 I need a tofu press.
I digress.
I hope you have a super week!! 🙂
I love seitan!! And I cook with it fairly often, since it’s the vegetarian concoction that EC likes best. My favorite way to cook it is with BBQ sauce — it adds such a great flavor!! Your pasta dish looks delicious, though.
I hope your move went well and you’re enjoying the new place! 🙂
I’ve never tried seitan. I dont care much for faux meat either–although I used to eat a lot of Morningstar Farms stuff a few years ago. Wouldn’t touch it now, though. Too processed for my taste.
I probably should try it because while I do eat some meat, I prefer a veggie meal, but I often find that they are lacking something for me. I use falafel sometimes because I find it easy, satisfying and tasty, but seitan might be a good alternative.
Thanks for bringing it to mind!
As far as home design, I find myself drawn to things that remind me of my parents’ style…lots of mission, craftsman-style, etc. Feels homey and warm to me.
i have never tried seitan but it looks/sounds so good!
you seem to have a knack for cooking – this meal looks delicious 🙂
I like seitan, but I never made it. Jess did a great job explaining it. I think I have avoided it since my husband has celiac and it just seems like such a production for me. Maybe I will give it a try. I actually have vital wheat gluten in the fridge for baking with…a while back anyway. Thanks for making it look even easier…now I need to get on it! Your dinner looks delicious!
Congrats on the new place! We are mid century modern people here as far as design goes, but we have an extreme appreciation for many styles!
Although it doesn’t include the recipe on how to make the actual seitan, Rose Elliot’s book Vegetarian Dishes From Around The World has a great recipe in which the seitan is rolled in breadcrumbs and fresh ginger and fried and served with a sweet and sour sauce. Different!!
Here is one of my recipes for seitan. It is a bit time consuming but worth it.
Veggie Cutlets
dry mix
2/3 c. pure gluten powder
1/3 c. brown rice flour
4 T. oatmeal
1 tsp. dry parsley & basil
1 tsp. onion powder
1 T. NYF’s
wet mix
1 T. soy sauce
2 T. organic tomato paste
6 oz. purified water
cooking broth
1 c. hot water
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. NYF’s
2 tsp onion-garlic powder
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients and set aside. Combine the wet mix. In a large bowl combine the wet and dry mixes and blend well. Form into a loaf and slice into 1/2 inch cutlets. Place in a baking dish, pour cooking broth over the cutlets and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully flip the cutlets over and continue baking for another fifteen to twenty minutes. Remove from heat. They will firm up once they cool. once cool you can bake or freeze them for later use.
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees on convection roast. Place cutlets on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake 12-15 minutes, turning half way through.