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Pull-Apart Seitan Chicken

The best seitan recipe I've made. Works acceptably alone, or even better in chicken noodle/chicken rice soup or as bbq chicken. Tastes best if browned in some oil before using. If you're making soup, you can re-use the seitan boiling broth as its base.

Don't overtax your food processor's motor. You may need a new one if you make this recipe often....

To make a nice seitan, the broth must NOT be too hot. The technique below sets a "skin" first — otherwise you get seitan brains.

Makes 4 pounds, so you'll probably use it for 2-3 recipes. The weight/volume ratio is 2 c. shredded to 8 oz. weight. It freezes well after being pulled apart.

Ingredients	Step
2 c. water 1 T. olive oil 2 t. apple cider vinegar 1½ t. salt (truly) 2 t. onion powder 1 t. garlic powder ½ t. pepper ⅛ t. turmeric (for color)	Whiz together in food processor.
¼ c. nutritional yeast ½ c. pea protein powder (aka pea isolate aka pea flour — nothing but "yellow peas" on label)	Process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
1½ c. vital wheat gluten	Pulse in, until incorporated. Then process on low about 5 minutes. Give your motor a break as needed!
10 c. chicken-y vegetable broth (can stretch with water) 8 bay leaves	Bring broth to a boil in a large pan.
4 9" double-layered squares of cheesecloth twine	Divide the dough into 4 pieces, trying not to overhandle it. Roll each into an 8-inch roll, fold in half, give a twist, and pull to 6-inches. Wrap in cheesecloth, snugly but not tightly, and tie with twine. If you have loose cheesecloths threads, try to keep them away from the seitan-touching edge. Leave a wee bit of slack in the wrap so the seitan can plump up (be able to pull the cheesecloth away by about ½ inch once wrapped). Let them rest until all bundles are prepared.
	After the broth is at a low boil, lower the heat so it isn't boiling at all (but is still very hot). Add the seitan bundles, which will cause another drop in temperature. Bring the heat up slightly and let the seitan cook for 20 minutes in that hot broth without boiling. Then raise the heat to achieve a low boil, and let the seitan cook for 45 more minutes, lid ajar. Turn the bundles every ~15 minutes.
	Turn off the heat. Cool completely in broth to room temperature, either on the stove or in a cool place. (Likely this takes an hour or more.)
	Pull apart.

Source: Isa Chandra's Post Punk Kitchen

Carrot White Bean Salad

A lovely salad that works as a side dish for omnivores and an entree for vegetarians (easily vegan-izable).

Substituting other herbs and sweeteners works well. Thyme and maple syrup, for instance, is another nice combination.

Have it ready a bit before serving; it improves as it sits.

Ingredients	Step
scant ¼ c. olive oil heaping ⅓ c. shallot, very thinly sliced	Saute briefly, just enough to take off the raw onion edge.
warmed shallots and oil 3 T. lemon juice ¼ c. dill, chopped scant ¼ t. salt	Combine and adjust dressing to taste. Don't sweeten yet. Set aside.
4 carrots, sliced (~2 c.) olive oil	Saute the carrots in batches so they stay in a single layer, until deeply browned (~12 minutes per layer).
3 c. white beans (2 cans)	Add. Cook about 5 minutes, until the beans are heated through.
dressing ~2 T. honey	Stir dressing in. Sweeten to taste (consider the carrots).
⅓ c. sliced almonds, toasted	Serve with toasted almonds.

Source: Heidi Swanson (101 Cookbooks)

Black Bean Chili

I've cut this recipe down to a quarter of the original. It makes a high quality canned equivalent chili, not too spicy.

Ingredients	Step
1 c. black beans, rinsed	Soak overnight. (Alternatively, boil 2 minutes and then set aside, covered, to soak 2 hours.)
soaked beans from above, rinsed again ¼ onion, finely chopped 1½ t. fresh garlic, minced 2¼ t. dark chili powder ½ t. cumin ½ t. dried oregano ¼ t. cayenne bit of black pepper	Combine in a pot. Add water to cover by 1.5 inches. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are very tender (~1+ hour). Add water as necessary and maintain a simmer.
2 stalks celery, finely chopped ¼ onion, finely chopped oil	While the beans cook, saute until translucent. Cook until celery is tender.
¼ c. corn (fresh or frozen) ¼ c. carrot, shredded 14 oz. can crushed tomato ⅛ c. #3 bulgur wheat or wheat germ salt to taste	When the beans are ready, add the sauted vegetables and the fresh vegetables. Keep on heat until the carrots are cooked through.
	Allow flavors to marry for at least 1 hour before serving.

Source: The Grit

North African Chickpea Kale Soup

Not truly North African, of course. But it does feature some nice warm spices.

This recipe makes enough to feed 2 people for a couple meals (it's only 4 cups of stock). To feed more people, double it.

Ingredients	Step
1 small onion, diced 1 carrot, diced	Brown in the bottom of a soup pot.
2 cloves garlic, diced	Add the garlic to the onion. Let cook about 1 minute.
¾ t. cumin ¼ t. paprika ¼ t. ginger ⅛ t. allspice ⅛ t. cayenne pinch saffron, lightly crushed 1 bay leaf ½ cinnamon stick	Add. Let cook about 1 minute, stirring.
1 can chickpeas, rinsed	Stir into spiced onion mixture.
4 c. stock	Add. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes with a lid.
4 c. kale, torn to bite-sized pieces	Add & stir. Ensure the kale is submerged. Serve once the kale is cooked to your liking (maybe 5-10 minutes?).

Source: Fat Free Vegan

Lentil Pierogi

It's a good amount of work to fold dumplings. But then again... dumplings.

It is worth the extra step to fry them.

Start with the filling so it has a chance to cool completely:

Ingredients	Step
¾ c. brown lentils 2 bay leaves	Boil in a large pot for 30-40 minutes. Season at the end. Drain the lentils and discard the bay leaves.
2 T. butter 1 onion, diced	Cook in skillet until soft.
3 garlic cloves, sliced ¾ t. coriander, ground ½ t. cumin, ground	Add. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
½ c. sundried tomato, rinsed if needed and chopped finely 1 T. soy sauce	Add. Stir to combine. Remove from heat, then add lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely, then use as filling in dumplings.
	Boil in well-salted water containing a splash of oil. Once the filled pierogi float, set a timer for 1-2 minutes more and then remove them to drain.
1 T. butter	Heat butter in skillet. Fry pierogi.
parmesan	Serve with parmesan.

You'll also need a dough:

Ingredients	Step
450 g. AP flour 1 t. salt ¼ c. / 60 ml EVOO 1 c. warm water	Combine the dry ingredients, combine the wet ingredients, and then mix both together. Knead 4-5 minutes, until smooth and supple. Invert a bowl on top of the dough and let rest 15 minutes.
	Divide the dough into 3 pieces. Roll each to ~⅛" thick. Cut out 2.5" circles, then roll each circle even thinner. (Don't stack them; they'll stick together.)
	Fill pierogi into each dough circle by tablespoonfuls. Press edges to seal. (Using water shouldn't be necessary — the dough should want to stick to itself.)
2 floured towels	Transfer each filled pierogi to a floured towel covered with another floured towel. Then boil in salted water with a bit of oil until they float, plus 1-2 minutes more.

Source: Michal Korkosz in Fresh from Poland

Pamela Toman

Pull-Apart Seitan Chicken

Carrot White Bean Salad

Black Bean Chili

North African Chickpea Kale Soup

Lentil Pierogi

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