New Year, New Resolutions (Not Really)

Like many others, I start off the new year with the usual array of "get healthy," "lose weight," "exercise more" resolutions. After watching "Forks Over Knives," and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," along with a heaping helping of "Food, Inc.," (all available streaming on Netflix for the time being) I decided to launch myself back onto the vegan wagon.

Over the past few days, I have made some of my old favorites, from Steel-Cut Oats with Cranberries and Almonds and Scrambled Tofu for breakfast, to Red Lentil and Quinoa Stew for lunch, but I am always on the lookout for new ideas, especially things that I can make from scratch, because the manufactured protein sources can be expensive.

I got a good recipe for seitan from a friend of mine, and made up a batch last night.

Phenomenal.

I sauteed a few slices quickly in olive oil and added a touch of Szechwan stir-fry sauce with green beans for a quick dinner.

Tonight I am going to try Vegan YumYum's recipe for Seitan and Broccolini with Clementine Teriyaki, though with a few changes based on what I have on  hand.

Here's the seitan recipe I used:

Baked Seitan

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. cooked white beans - I used great northern beans, but cannellini should work fine
• 1/4 c. soy sauce - I used Braggs liquid aminos
• 1 1/4 cups stock - I used Better Than Boullion's No-Beef Base to make a fake beef stock
• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)- you can omit this depending on how salty your broth is. I omitted it.
• 1/2 teaspoon onion and porcini mushroom powder (optional) - I made it by grinding up dried porcini mushrooms with a bit of dried minced onion in a coffee grinder

Directions:

1. Mix the cooked beans and soy/Braggs in a food processor or blender and then pour in as much broth as needed until everything is all nice and liquidy. Then add the rest of the broth and mix well.
2. In another bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and then make a well in the center and add the liquid ingredients, stirring until everything is well combined.
3. Turn the mass out onto a board and knead for a few minutes. 
4. Shape into a loaf and then warp in well-oiled foil (I just blasted it with cooking spray). Then wrap it in another layer of foil. Place in a roasting dish, pour in water to a depth of 1 inch and bake for 1-1/2 hours at 350F or until the packet is firm when you poke it.