Seitan steaks

Vegans don't often get the chance to eat something you need to cut with a steak knife - most of our food is soft enough and/or small enough that you need only a fork (tofu, beans, etc.).  Enter the seitan steak.  It's chewy and substantial, really flavorful, and a great source of nutrients.  Each serving of seitan has about 26 grams of protein (43 - 50% RDA) and 3.6 milligrams of iron (20% RDA), 2 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbs and, of course, zero cholesterol, since cholesterol is found only in animal products. 

One of my friends e-mailed me to ask what seitan steaks taste like - are they like meat steaks?  I have been trying to come up with an answer, but I just don't have one - they taste like seitan steaks!  They're savory and juicy, and they take on the flavor of the onions, garlic and herbs in the broth they're cooked in.  That's the best I can do.  These steaks have been a hit with my non-vegan friends, and they're really easy to make with inexpensive ingredients (you can get vital wheat gluten in bulk for around $2.00 a pound). 

Here, they're served with quinoa and broccoli with a little cashew cream (recipe here) and lemon zest.

In the past, I have used recipes where the spices are incorporated into the seitan, and the seitan is boiled in plain water or broth.  This recipe does it the other way around - the seitan is plain, and the broth is highly flavored - and makes a much better result: the seitan becomes fully infused with the flavor of the broth, and you don't have to contend with little hard bits of herbs in the middle of the steaks.  Here's what I do:

1.  Make broth by combining:

• 8 cups water
• 2 cubes vegan bouillon - I love this kind from Rapunzel
• 2 onions, sliced into big chunks
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• a tablespoon or so of whatever dried herbs you like - I use Herbes de Provence

Bring broth to a boil, then reduce heat and allow it to simmer while you prepare the seitan steaks.

2.  Meanwhile, combine in a large bowl:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vital wheat gluten flour

Mix it together with your hands or a fork.  Once you have a smooth ball, massage it in your hands and squeeze the little bit of excess water out.  Form the mixture into a smooth log, about 3 inches across.  Slice into 8 steaks, then flatten each steak.  They will look something like this: 

3.  Drop steaks into boiling broth.  Cover, and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.  The steaks will double in size, so make sure you have plenty of room in the pot.  Serve with a little bit of the broth ladled on top.  You can also save the delicious broth (strain out the onions, garlic and herbs, and discard them) and use it throughout the week to add flavor to quinoa, rice, etc.

Enjoy!