Seitan gyros

 


These things are AMAZING, people. Seriously... try them. Even meat eaters go wild for these veggie delights. They use the steamer method for making seitan- which is super easy, and pretty much fool proof. I could eat these pretty much daily.

Seitan Gyros

1 c vital wheat gluten
1/4 c nutritional yeast
2 tbsp gyros seasoning (recipe for seasoning at bottom of gyros recipe)
1 c cold water
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
4-6 vegan pitas
finely sliced onion (optional)
finely sliced tomato (optional)
cucumber sauce (optional)

Directions:

This recipe uses a steamed in a foil pack method as opposed to boiling. A steamer (electric, or stove top steamer basket) is needed to make these.

Directions:
1. Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl, and stir with a fork until well mixed. Add in cold water. Stir with fork until well blended. Knead dough about 23-30 squeezes by hand to make sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Let dough rest 10 minutes or so, and knead dough again for another 2-3 minutes to build up elasticity. (see recipe for steamed seitan for a pictorial, if needed.)

2. Form dough into loaf type shape, keeping the loaf about 1" thick (will rise while steaming). Tear off tin foil sheet about 12" long. Spray shiny side of foil with cooking spray. Lay seitan loaf in center of foil. Fold tinfoil up around seitan loaf making an envelope type shape (be sure to leave room around loaf to allow dough to expand while steaming). Fold and pinch outside edges of foil together to make a tight seam (middle seam should be overlapping- it is ok if it is not pinched). Steam dough in foil envelope for about 50 minutes.

3. Remove from steamer, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Unwrap finished seitan loaf, and slice into strips 1/8- 1/4" thick.

4. Squeeze lemon juice over seitan slices, and allow to sink in while oil heats in pan.

5. Heat oil in a large pan. Add seitan slices, and fry until slightly browned on all sides. About 3-5 min each side. Remove from pan, but keep warm. Heat pitas, one at a time, in hot pan. Place on a plate and spoon gyro "meat" mixture into each pita.

If desired, top with favorite cucumber sauce recipe, finely sliced onions, and finely sliced tomatoes.

ENJOY!

Recipe by Jamie Monster, photos by Grimly Fiendish


** gyros spice mix
This makes enough spice for several batches of gyros. Store in a tight lidded container between uses.

2 tablespoon chili powder (NOT cayenne powder- just chili powder)
1 tablespoon curry spice powder (I use McCormick mild for this recipe)
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon allspice

A good cucumber sauce recipe (you could use soy yogurt if you want to make it vegan)

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) containers plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cucumbers - peeled, seeded and diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled

Directions

1. In a food processor or blender, combine yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill and garlic. Pulse until well-combined. Transfer to a separate dish, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour for best flavor.

So yummy!



Gyros, get in my belly!

Chili lemon seitan fajitas.

Need something to do with that steamed "chicken" seitan loaf you made? Try these! The chili & lemon pair nicely to give the seitan a rich flavor, that is warmly rounded out with the addition of a little garlic, cumin, and cayenne. These have a very bold flavor all on their own- I swear, you won't even miss the cheese!

Ingredients:
1 loaf "chicken" seitan
2 bell peppers (color of choice)
1 medium/ large onion
2 tsp minced garlic (in olive oil)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c lemon juice

Spice blend:
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/8- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you want)

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients from the spice blend together well. Slice the seitan loaf into 1/4" strips, then turn the strips on their side so they are laying flat and slice them up the middle long ways so they are half as thick. Set aside.

2. Start heating the oil in a large pan over medium/high heat. Add minced garlic, and stir occasionally so it won't burn.

3. Chop your onion to thick slices. When the garlic is sizzling in the oil, add onion. Stir occasionally so it won't burn. while you clean and chop your peppers into chunky strips.

4. Once the onion is starting to go translucent, add the peppers to the oil. Cover with a lid and sautee for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. A little browning on the veggies is fine, but you definitely don't want them to get too browned. Veggies are ready for the seitan to be added when the onion is completely translucent, and the peppers have begun to soften.

5. Add the seitan strips, and stir occasionally. Cook until the strips are a little browned. About 6minutes. (cook for 3, then stir to flip the seitan over, and cook for another 3.)

6. Add lemon juice, and stir around well to deglaze pan. Add spice blend, and stir well again. Be careful not to end up with large clumps of spice & lemon stuck to the veggies & seitan. You want it to be pretty uniformly coated. You can add a tbsp of water or 2 if you need to to get it this way. Reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Remove from heat, and serve with flour tortillas, or on large romaine lettuce leaves (if watching your calories).

8. Get out the tequila, margaritas, or mexican beer & ENJOY!

~ Jamie Monster~




Seitan sliced into fajita sized strips.



The onions have gone translucent, and the peppers are just starting to soften- time to add the seitan!



After adding the spices, & everything is mixed up & ready to serve.


Ready to NOM, served on romaine lettuce leaves instead of tortillas. (you can use tortillas, though.)

Sausage of intensity!

There are quite a few recipes out there that use the seitan steamed sausage method, and every one I have tried has always turned out GREAT! After getting bored in the kitchen one day, decided to try making my own, and a rich, bold, and intense flavor is what I really wanted. These sausages definitely hit the mark with a heavy kick of red wine, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red pepper, and a little bit of heat from red pepper flakes. These are great sliced up and sauteed in a little olive oil with some sweet onion, garlic, and zucchini served over some whole wheat pasta, or garlic cous cous, as well as lightly browned on the grill and served to your vegetarian and vegan comrades at your next BBQ

Materials needed:

Blender (immersion or standard)

a large mixing bowl (2 if using immersion blender)

a rubber scraper

a fork

steamer basket, or electric rice steamer

tin foil

Optional- a kitchen chopper (like the slap chop)

Wet ingredients:

½ cup canned beans (white beans, black beans, black eyed peas, pinto beans, etc)

2 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp Liquid smoke

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

½ c vegetable broth

½ c full bodied, dry, red wine (I used a Spanish Grianza)

Dry ingredients:

1 ½ c vital wheat gluten flour

¼ c nutritional yeast

2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp sweet paprika

2 tbsp dried Italian seasoning

1 tbsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp salt

Other ingredients:

¼ c sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped

¼ c roasted red peppers, finely chopped

2 tbsp dried onion flakes, reconstituted with ¼ c hot water

Directions:

1. place all wet ingredients in the blender pitcher, or in a large bowl. Puree together until completely smooth.

2. Place fennel seeds in a plastic zippered bag, and roll over them with the side of a coffee mug until lightly crushed.

3. Mix together dry ingredients & seasonings in a large bowl with a fork, Make sure that everything is well blended & well incorporated together.

4. Add dried tomatoes, peppers, and onions to dry ingredients. Pour in wet ingredients and mix well together with the fork until all is well mixed (you will have lumps of tomatoes, peppers, & onion- that is OK).

5. Measure out 1/3 c of dough, and form into a log .(this will feel disgustingly close to raw hamburger- be prepared). Place the log on a sheet of tin foil, & roll up tootsie roll style. Make sure to seal the dough inside well, or it will burst out during steaming. Repeat process until all dough is finished- you should get 8- 10 sausages.

6. Steam in a steamer basket, or electric rice cooker for 50 minutes.

7. Remove, unwrap, and serve as desired.

I store these in the fridge in a sealed plastic container- they should keep for a week, but never seem to last that long! ENJOY!

Is this a brains & guts margarita for a zombie dinner party? Nope- this is the wet ingredients all blended together.



Dry ingredients mixed.


Still not brains, just the mixed dough, ready for making sausages.



Sausage log on the tin foil, ready for rolling.



All rolled up, with ends twisted tightly.



A whole batch in the steamer.



This is what they look like after cooking.



Ready to eat, served with sauteed veggies & garlic & olive oil cous cous.

Balsamic Setian with Steamed Kale and Butternut Squash - Praise, Hail Seitan!

Making seitan on my own led to a different set of struggles. Eventually I could replicate several items I had loved as a carnivore and was happy about it. Yet, I have found that seitan worked best in roles you may not have even considered as a meat-eater. The following recipe was one I found recently on the “Working Class Foodies” site. It was a video recipe detailing how to make seitan from scratch. This recipe was at the end of the video and I've made it a number of times.

Lightly pan-fried seitan, steamed butternut squash and kale, enhanced with a little Balsamic vinegar. The flavors are subtle – the mix of the slight bitter from the kale and the sweet tang of the vinegar coupled with the minor crunch of the breaded seitan and the give of the squash leaves all senses satisfied.

The recipe takes a bit of effort – you have to work with it a good bit of the time, but if I was to serve a seitan dish for meat eaters, this would be it. It is not trying to be anything it's not – and that's why it works!

Time: about 1 hour

Difficulty: moderately, though goof-ups do not seem to affect the final dish much

Ingredients:

1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled and chopped into medium sized cubes

1 bunch of Kale

4 cups of pre-made seitan medallions

3 T Balsamic Vinegar

¾ cup of All-purpose flour

1 T corn starch

¼ cup olive oil for frying the seitan, plus 1 T more for sauteing the mix

1 t salt, more if needed

1 t pepper, more if needed

Process:

1. The first thing is too figure out how you will steam your squash and kale. Here is how I do it. Fill up a large stock pot with water; place a steamer pot in it and begin boiling the water. Peel squash, and then separate the top (long) part from the base (wide part.) Begin to chop into apx. 1” x 1” x 1” cubes. When the water has come to a boil, place chopped squash in the steamer and loosely cover. Steam for about 25 minutes – you want the squash soft but not mushy.
2. While the squash is steaming, squeeze the water out of the seitan medallions. I've had the most success wrapping the seitan in cheese cloth and squeezing the water out, over a sink. Once you have finished with this, place the seitan on a dish.
3. Begin heating the ¼ cup of oil in a large frying pan on low medium heat (4/10). Prepare the coating for the seitan by mixing/ sifting together the flour, corn starch, salt and pepper. Coat seitan in the powder. Once the pan is properly warmed, gently place the seitan in the pan, frying it about 4 minutes a side.
4. While the seitan is frying, chop the kale into thin shreds. Remove the squash from the steamer. Replace with the kale. Steam kale for no more than 5 minutes – it will be BRIGHT green and very soft. Begin heating 1 T olive oil in a second large frying pan.
5. Combine seitan and squash in the second frying pan, stirring regularly. Add vinegar and continue stirring. Add the kale and saute for about 5 minutes, sprinkling with a small amount of additional salt and pepper if desired.
6. Serve.

1. Steam Squash.

2. Pan fry seitan.

 

3. Chop kale.

4. Saute squash.

5. Saute it all.

 

6. Serve.

* By the way, this is one dish that does not do well when reheated.  Everything grows soggy, and tastes, well, bland... and mushy - yep, tastes mushy.

Seitan Marsala Recipe (or something like it)

Given that my meat eating days ended just past my teens, there were many carnivorous dishes I never indulged in- I found limiting myself to hot wings, burgers, etc. did the trick just right. Fast forward a decade.... I'm sitting in the Blind Faith Cafe (just north of the Chicago border in the suburb of Evanston,) and Seitan Marsala is an option. Having heard of this dish from friends who savored it in Italian restaurants, I decided to give it a try, and I loved it. The mushrooms, the thickened and heavily flavored sauce coupled with the tender seitan, was a dish I would be craving long after clearing my plate.

Over the last several years I had tried and tried, to no avail, to replicate that meal. However, once I began cooking my own seitan, I sought out recipes once again and came across one which I could eat on a weekly basis. Certainly it requires some effort and a bit of time, but now you have those seitan loaves, here is a recipe worth giving a go. While I have changed some of the process and ingredients to my tastes, this is a recipe inspired by Emeril. His seasoning recipe (listed separately below) is used.

Time: 1 hour, first ½ hour unattended

Difficulty: not so bad, once you have the ingredients

Ingredients:

½ cup All Purpose Flour 

1 cup vegetable broth

1 T Essence seasoning 

salt and pepper to taste

1 loaf of seitan, split 

1 T olive oil

4 T butter 

1 diced red bell pepper

1 8 oz package sliced mushrooms (I prefer Baby Bellas)

¾ red wine (no, I don't use Marsala and it's still tasty)

Process:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice boiled seitan loaves in half. Place on cookie sheet and bake for half an hour. This will dehydrate the setian making it more absorbent.
2. Combine flour and Essence seasoning with a whisk. Dredge seitan loaves in the powder.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium until hot, but not smoking.
4. Cook seitan for about 3 minutes per side. Place on a plate.
5. Add 1 T of the butter and add mushrooms and bell pepper. Cook until mushrooms are golden brown and giving off their own juices. Add the wine and turn up heat to medium high. When the liquid has reduced to about half, add 1 T of the butter and the broth. Cook until sauce begins to thicken – several minutes.
6. Lower heat a tad and add seitan. Cook about 5 minutes per side. Sauce should reduce and thicken.
7. Salt and pepper to taste.

1. Oven baked seitan

2. The pan-fry

3. Mushrooms and pepper

4. Ready to eat

“Essence” Seasoning

2 ½ T paprika 

2 T salt

2 T garlic powder 

1 T black pepper

1 T onion powder 

1 T cayenne pepper

1 T dried oregano 

1 T dried thyme

combine all ingredients; yields 2/3 cup