Seitan!

I was feeling adventurous today and decided to make my own seitan. Seitan is sometimes referred to as "wheat meat." Appetizing, right? I've never tried it before, but it is pretty expensive in the store. I was going to taste the packaged stuff first, but then I figured that my homemade stuff would have a better shot at tasting good (to me anyway) if I didn't know any different! It is made from wheat gluten, and really has a meaty consistency. Most of the recipes I found called for boiling the prepared dough, but I came across one that you baked. I thought baking seemed easier, so I went with that one. My seitan consists of:
Vital wheat gluten
Dried Onion
Garlic powder
Nutritional Yeast
Liquid Amino Acids
Vegetable Broth
Tomato Paste

So many new and fun ingredients that I'm working with!!! Let's start with the nutritional yeast...nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that comes in flake form. It has kind of a salty, cheesy taste, like Parmesan cheese. I've had it before sprinkled on popcorn, and also have used it for coating tofu slices before frying. It is also a good ingredient to use because it is a source of vitamin B12, which can be a hard vitamin for vegetarians to get since it's mainly found in meats. I get it in the bulk section and Whole Foods.












Next new ingredient...liquid amino acids. I didn't even know where one would locate this product!!! So exciting!!! I finally found it in the Asian section right next to the soy sauce and tamari. The label claims that it is a favorite amongst vegetarians, and that it is great on salads, in soups and stews. Basically a great flavor adder!













Everything was mixed together in the Kitchen Aid, then wrapped in foil and baked for an hour. The end result looks like this:
I realize this does not look amazing...but it is! At first, it kind of tasted like a weird form of bread...I think. It's super chewy and nice and savory. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with it, but I'm thinking maybe a sandwich, or tossed in some bbq sauce and served over rice. Maybe thrown into a stir-fry! It's so hearty, it could probably hold up in soups as well. I've been cutting off chunks all evening just to eat! I wasn't sure what Justin would say about this one...but he really liked it too (really, he did!).