Seitan

vegan crispy “chicken” caesar sandwiches

Seitan

ingredients

  • 15 oz. Can Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
  • 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
  • 1/3 C. Vegetable broth
  • 2 Tbsp. Soy sauce
  • 1/2 C. Vital wheat gluten
  • 1/3 C. Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp. Old Bay/Poultry seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • Pinch of Black pepper
  • 1 C. Bread crumbs, for coating the outside
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  • 1/4 C. Vegan mayo
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast
  • Juice of 1 Lemon
  • 1/4 tsp. Garlic powder
  • Pinch of Salt and pepper

instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Next, drain the chickpeas and add them to a large mixing bowl. Smash all of the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher. Make sure they are all mashed. 
  3. Now add the olive oil, veggie broth, soy sauce, vital wheat gluten, panko, and seasonings to the mixing bowl with the smashed chickpeas. Leave the extra bread crumbs out, this will be used for coating. 
  4. Mix everything together with a spoon, and then once everything starts to come together, begin to mix with your hands and then knead the mixture for about 2 minutes. It should become firm and hold together very well. 
  5. Now place the 1 cup of bread crumbs into a bowl.
  6. Then, divide the chickpea mixture into 3-4 parts, depending on how large you want your patties. Roll each part into a ball, then press out flat. 
  7. Next, press the patties down into the bread crumbs on each side, coating the patties in the bread crumbs. You may need to press down hard to get them to stick. 
  8. Place each patty on a baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray. Then spray the tops of the chickpea patties with non stick spray as well. 
  9. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Flipping the patties after 15 minutes. Bake until the patties are firm, crispy and brown. 
  10. While the patties are baking, make the dressing. Add all the ingredients to a blender and pulse for a minute, scraping down sides as needed. Until it is creamy and smooth. Set aside. 
  11. When the chickpea patties are done, take a bun, spread with Caesar dressing, then place a patty on that, then lettuce, then spread the top bun with more Caesar dressing. Serve!

Recipe and image from https://www.rabbitandwolves.com/vegan-crispy-chicken-caesar-sandwiches/

(can’t believe it’s not) fried chicken!

Seitan

ingredients

  • 550 grams seitan (see this recipe)
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  • 2 cups soy milk
  • 1/3 cup pickle juice
  • 1 tsp poultry seasonings
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
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  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup canola oil for frying
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 4 tsp old bay seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp salt

instructions

  1. Pull the seitan apart by hand into irregular medium size chunks about the size of small chicken breasts and wings. In a container large enough to marinate the seitan in, using a whisk, mix together the plant-based milk, pickle juice, poultry seasonings, mustard, and ¼ cup of flour. Place the seitan pieces into the buttermilk marinade, and make sure all pieces get coated. Place the brining seitan into the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight.
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  2. Preheat 1 cup of oil in a large cast iron skillet over a medium-high flame. You can use a frying thermometer to ensure the temperature is between 350-360. Alternatively, you can use a deep fryer and more oil, which will be needed if you use a deep fryer.
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  3. In a bowl mix together the 2 cups of flour, old bay seasoning, and salt. Working with one piece of seitan at a time. Take each pieces of seitan, remove it from the buttermilk marinade, coat it thoroughly in the seasoned flour, dip it back into the marinade, coating it entirely with liquid again. Then one final coating in the seasoned flour to encapsulate the batter. Place each fully coated piece of seitan into the hot oil. You will probably need to fry the seitan in 2-3 batches so there is room for the seitan pieces to not touch one another while they cook.
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  4. Fry for 2-3 minutes on the first side. Use a frying thermometer to maintain a temperature between 350-360°F.
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  5. Then flip the seitan pieces with tongs and fry on the second side. For about 2 minutes until lightly golden brown. Transfer all of the fried seitan pieces onto a wire rack to cool and drip dry. Immediately season with salt to taste. Fry any subsequent batches of seitan until it is all cooked.

    Coat with a little spicy honey and serve on ciabaitta with mayo for amazing sammies.

Recipe and image from https://cinnamonsnail.com/vegan-fried-chicken/

vegan chicken (seitan)

Seitan

ingredients

  • 15 oz can navy beans or other white bean
  • 1 tablespoon “No Chicken” bullion paste
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder optional
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup unsalted vegetable stock
  • 2 cups vital wheat gluten 300 grams
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil additional
  • 2 ½ cups unsalted vegetable stock
  • 2 teaspoons tamari
  • 1 Tablespoon Chinese fermented bean paste taucu, or miso paste

instructions

  1. Add the white beans along with all of the liquid in the can directly to a food processor, or blender along with the “no chicken” bullion paste, the onion powder (if you want it), nutritional yeast, mirin, olive oil, and salt. Puree for 2 minutes until smooth.
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  2. Add 1⁄3 cup of veggie broth and vital when gluten, and continue to process for 5 minutes. If your food processor struggles, stop it to rest halfway through to avoid overheating.
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  3. After 5 minutes, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and process for another 30 seconds. The olive oil will coat some of the strands of gluten, and create a more tender, meatier textured seitan.
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  4. Divide the gluten dough into three roughly even parts. Press each portion of dough out flat using the palm of your hand. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes so that the gluten relaxes a bit.
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  5. Cut the dough twice keeping the butt end intact, and stretch it and braid it into a long three strand braid. As you braid it keep pulling the dough as much as you can without breaking it.
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  6. Once each portion of dough is braided, allow the braids to sit again for 5 minutes to relax the gluten. Then squeeze and stretch each braid to form long braided ropes of rough about 12 inches long.
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  7. Again, let the dough rest, this time just for a couple of minutes, and then knot the ropes of seitan dough at least once, but up to three times if you can. This will improve the texture of the seitan and give the strands of protein a more natural configuration.
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  8. Lightly oil 3 sheets of parchment paper. Place each portion of gluten into the center of each sheet of parchment. Roll the gluten up like a burrito, and then wrap the paper wrapped gluten with aluminum foil as tightly as you can. Tightly wrapping the dough will prevent it from becoming spongy or dense while cooking and cooling.
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  9. Place the wrapped packages of dough into your steamer, fitted with a steamer basket and cook for 90 minutes on medium heat. Check while it is steaming to ensure the steamer doesn’t run dry. After 90 minutes, turn the steamer off, and allow the seitan to cool inside the steamer for one full hour. Unwrap the seitan. It may have a somewhat uninspiring texture on the outside, but don’t worry, it’s going to be great after marinating. Place the wheat meat into an airtight container and pour the 2 1⁄2 cups of vegetable broth and 2 teaspoons of tamari, and the fermented bean paste over them. Refrigerate the seitan overnight in the marinade.

Recipe and image from https://cinnamonsnail.com/vegan-chicken-the-ultimate-guide-to-tender-and-juicy-seitan/

mom’s baked french toast

breakfast, Seitan

ingredients

  • 4-5 cups cubed french bread
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup milk/buttermilk (for buttermilk, mix some greek yogurt into your milk to the consistency of heavy cream)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp salt

instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8×8′ pan with pam. Arrange bread cubes in pan evenly.
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  2. Beat egg. Add milk, sugar, cinnamon, and salt to eggs and beat again.
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  3. Pour egg mixture over bread. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes.
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seitan breakfast sausage

breakfast, Seitan

ingredients

  • ½ cup chickpeas – cooked
  • ½ cup vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten
  • ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp sage
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp thyme leaves
  • ½ tsp red pepper/chili flakes – optional*
  • ¼ tsp cloves
  • pinch of black pepper

instructions

  1. Blend together chickpeas, vegetable stock, maple syrup and soy sauce until there are no large chunks of chickpeas.
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  2. Whisk together the remaining ingredients. Stir in the chickpea/veggie stock mixture. 
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  3. Knead for about five minutes to develop the gluten (the dough will change in consistency when it’s ready). I like to use the dough hook.
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  4. Divide the ball into 8-10 pieces and roll into sausage links. Wrap the sausage links in foil and twist the ends like you would a piece of candy (think Tootsie Roll style – see photo above).
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  5. Steam the sausages for 45 minutes and store. Or, pan fry and serve.

from https://www.karissasvegankitchen.com/vegan-maple-breakfast-sausage/

Seitan Gyros

dinner, mediterranean, Seitan

ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
  • 4 TBS nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 onion – minced
  • 1 clove garlic – minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dry basil
  • 1 tsp dry oregano
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 3/4 cup water (or more if necessary)

instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all the wet ingredients (onion, garlic, water, ketchup, tahini) in one bowl & the dry (wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, basil, oregano & pepper) in another & combine them.  It comes together fast & looks like raw hamburger – if hamburger was doughy.

3. Grease a loaf pan & press this shit in there, COVER IT WITH FOIL & bake it for about an hour.  Or just kinda shape it on some foil, wrap it up & bake it.

When you are ready to make the sandwich, slice off some seitan & fry it up until warmed through.

From https://delightfuldeliciousdelovelyblog.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/vegan-gyro-with-homemade-seitan-tzatziki-sauce/

Basic Seitan

basics, Seitan

ingredients

  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten
  • 1/4 cup chickpea flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 cups stock
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce (could try omitting)

instructions

  1. Stir the vital wheat gluten and chickpea flour together in a medium bowl.
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  2. Add the water and stir to form a soft dough.
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  3. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead it for 5 minutes. Just like with bread making, kneading helps to develop the strands of gluten that give seitan its meaty texture.
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  4. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes.
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  5. While the dough rests, stir all of the broth ingredients for your choice of broth together in a large pot. 
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  6. Place the pot over high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a low simmer.
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  7. Cut the dough into at least 4 large pieces (they will expand during cooking and if they’re too big the broth won’t fully penetrate them and if they get too big the broth will no longer cover them.
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  8. Add the dough to the broth.
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  9. Allow the broth to simmer for 1 hour, uncovered, watching closely to ensure it stays at a low simmer (don’t allow it to rapidly boil).
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  10. Remove the pot from heat and allow it to cool a bit.
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  11. When the seitan is cool enough to handle, you can cut it into smaller pieces if you like. Use it in a recipe immediately, or store it in the broth. Refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze.

From (with small changes from me): https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/how-to-make-seitan/

For Serving:

So far, i’ve found it’s best if you pan fry it, searing like meat. Make sure each piece has space in the pan to lie flat. I pan seared it with taco seasoning and olive oil and salt with some onions (cook kthe onions first with seasoning, then remove them and cook just the seitan. Ee loved that for a dinner.