Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Quick n Easy Homemade Seitan Cutlets

I have another seitan recipe posted, but after modifying and changing it each time I make it I finally perfected a quicker and easier way! This seitan has a lot more flavor by itself (it tastes amazing even if you don't do anything else to prepare it when it's done!) and it cooks much faster than boiling in water. Each cutlet is already wrapped and ready to store until use after it cools so this is a convenient and easy way to make seitan that you can use in different recipes throughout the week. Oh, and if you have NO idea what seitan is, it's a gluten-rich vegan "faux meat" that is very dense in protein and one of the best meat alternatives that you can easily make at home. If you love seitan and eat a lot of it, it's much more cost effective to make it yourself than to buy it pre-made. Original recipe was taken and modified from Isa Chandra Moskowitz of the Post Punk Kitchen.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic vital wheat gluten (see note*)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons of any kind of flour (wheat, quinoa, chickpea, etc.) IF not subbing another flour in recipe (see note*)
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup cold water
1 tablespoon olive oil or another type of vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic, grated, or 1/2 -1 tablespoon of garlic powder
any additional spices or herbs you'd like


*Wheat gluten is super dense. When cooked it has a chewy texture, and can be made a bit "lighter" and less dense by mixing with another flour. I often make chickpea seitan that's delicious by subbing 1 cup of wheat gluten for 1 cup of chickpea flour. (You can experiment and use other types of flour as well! I have not YET tried a full GF option, and I would imagine doing so will completely lose the "meaty" texture of seitan, but trying a fully GF version by subbing for all of the wheat gluten is possible.) The main change will be the consistency. I mix it up each time with different flours for variety. Also, if you decide you love making seitan, the most cost effective way is to buy organic wheat gluten in bulk online. This is what I buy, and it's WAY cheaper per ounce than buying small bags at the store (it's also hard to find organic in the store!)


Instructions:

Blend everything together in a food processor or electric mixer (or knead by hand by first mixing dry and wet ingredients separately, then combining).

Rip off 4 squares of aluminum foil. Divide the dough into 4 chunks. Knead each piece with your hands and pound down several times. Flatten into patties, and wrap each one individually in a piece of foil, covering completely and sealing off the best you can.

Using a steamer basket, steam cutlets in a pot of about 1 inch of boiling water in a pot with a lid on the stove for about 15 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip each cutlet inside the foil onto it's over side, and continue steaming for another 15 minutes. Check on one of the cutlets, it should be firm but a little spongey on the inside. You shouldn't see any raw dough or anything and it should feel dense. If it doesn't seem ready, cook a little longer.

Take each piece out of the basket, or just turn off the heat, remove pot lid and allow to cool.

Once cool, you can use the seitan immediately, or store in the fridge for about a week in the foil.

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