Well, we ate all the evidence, so there's no picture of the delicious dinner I just made. We've been doing that more frequently than not lately, then I decide not to blog the recipe since there's no photo, but now I'm re-thinking that idea. The point of this blog is to share my recipes, so here we go.
First, I sliced the homemade seitan I made last night* into large coins. Then I sauteed about 4 cloves of garlic in olive oil until tender, then added about 3/4 teaspoon each of cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and stirred until combined. Then I added the seitan coins and cooked until they were warm and well-coated with the garlic-spice mixture.
I also made a small pot of quinoa, then when it was done I added a healthy squirt of lemon juice and mixed it in.
Then I pulled out some dinner plate-sized wraps and laid them out on plates, then started layering: First, a smear of vegan sour cream sprinkled liberally with dried dill weed. Then a layer of lemony quinoa. Then a layer of the spiced seitan. Then a layer of chopped, salted, fresh tomatoes, and finally a layer of chopped fresh spinach. Amazingly delicious, and fresh-tasting and healthy. A great way to kick off the first day of Spring!
* Here's the recipe for my homemade seitan. I got it from the Chicago Diner cookbook. It's delicious, and pretty fun to make, although the kneading can be hard work. I usually cut the recipe in half because the full recipe is just too much for a two-person household. The following is the full recipe; it makes four big chunks of seitan:
Mix together:
- 4 cups vital gluten flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp onion powder
- 1-1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1-1/2 Tbsp salt
- 2 Tbsp Italian spices
- 2-1/4 cups warm water
- 1/4 cup tamari
Knead well to combine, then knead for about 10 minutes more. You have to work pretty hard to get all the dry ingredients worked into the dough. Then let the dough rest 15 minutes.
While the dough is resting, fill a large pot about 3/4 full of water and put it on the stove to boil. Throw in 3 or 4 bay leaves, 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled, and the trimmed ends and tops of a few carrots and celery stalks.
After the dough has rested for 15 minutes, cut it into 4 pieces, then put it in the boiling water. Let it boil for about 1-1/2 hours. The seitan will grow as it cooks, so keep an eye on the pot to make sure they're not sticking out of the water. If this happens, add more water and/or turn the seitan chunks over with a big spoon periodically.
Once the seitan is done cooking, you can slice it and eat it or use it in a recipe right away. It has now become what some people call "wheat meat," and you can use it the same way you would use tofu or fake meats. Store it in the refrigerator covered with water with a splash of tamari.
I'll definitely make this again, and I'll take pictures then!
