Maple Seitan Chops, Two Ways

I recently picked up a copy of Jenn Shagrin's cookbook, Veganize This! I was very excited because the book gives recipes for flavoring seitan in ways that imitate meat. For those of us that grew up as meat eaters, and what I maintain now to non-vegans, it isn't the meat we miss, it is the flavors. So if I can find away to duplicate them cruelty-free, I'm all over it.

I chose to make the recipe for pork chops. Her flavoring broths are the key, and have a long list of ingredients. That has never put me off, so I set off for the task.

I made the seitan and broth as she outlines in the recipe. The smell was heavenly! Later, when I was frying the chops the first time, it very much reminded me of the smell of pork chops.

After that all resemblance ended, and I'll detail here my findings.

Maple Seitan Chops

Homemade seitan
2 T. brown sugar
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 T. grated ginger
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced

In my first attempt, I used Shagrin's recipe for the chops and cut the seitan into pie shaped wedges and smooshed them as flat as I could get. I fried them first in olive oil, then mixed up the above sauce recipe and added it to the frying pan. The maple sauce cooked up fast and became more glaze than sauce.

The result was a beautiful looking chop with a maple-y glaze. The wheat taste, however, was too pronounced for my liking.

Back to the drawing board. Some research into seitan chop recipes and reducing the wheat-y taste suggested adding chickpea flour to the mix. Other comments included making the seitan, not the broth, the flavor.

In my second attempt, I added 3:1 ratio of vital wheat gluten:chickpea flour and threw in some diced onion and garlic. I reused the broth from the first chops. The dough, despite my best efforts, was too damp to cut into the pie shapes, so I put the ball of uncooked seitan into the broth. After an hour and letting it cool a bit, I sliced it and put the sliced seitan into a baggie with the above sauce ingredients to marinate. I let it marinate overnight. I then fried the sliced seitan in olive oil.

The result was a more subtle maple flavor and no discernible wheat taste. I liked the flavor much better, but did love the pork chop shape from the first chops. I'll need to play around with it some more, but definitely feel the addition of chickpea flour to the vital wheat gluten makes for a better tasting product. I will probably leave out the onion and garlic and see it that makes it less wet and more manageable so I can cut it into a chop shape.

Spicy Fried Tofu

Some months back, my son and I decided to check out a local vegetarian Indian restaurant. We had no idea what we were eating, but it was all so good! We wrote down the names of some of the dishes labeled on the buffet tables so we could look them up when we got home. A few days later I checked out several Indian cookbooks from the library, hoping to find some of the dishes I could replicate. I'll let you know when I try some of them.

One of the dishes I did find, however, was for a spicy fried fish. Having had some pretty good luck with substituting tofu slices for fish in other recipes, I gave this one a go. It was so good I think I quite literally gobbled my food!

Spicy Fried Tofu

1 container of tofu, frozen, then boiled, pressed and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. salt
1 t. fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 t. turmeric
1/2 t. black pepper
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
2 t. lemon juice
Olive oil

Mix the garlic, salt, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne pepper and lemon juice together to make a paste. Spread the paste over the tofu slices and let sit for about 20 minutes. Fry the slices in the olive oil until nicely browned. Drain on paper towels and serve!

I served mine with a basmati rice mix with cranberries and almonds and some frozen green beans. Like I said, it was so good I couldn't get enough!

This recipe fascinated me not only because it sounded delicious, but because of the ingredients. I had been doing some research on turmeric and how good it was for a number of reasons, but mostly because of its cholesterol lowering abilities. Doing the research, I learned that studies have indicated that curcumin (turmeric) has a poor bioavailability (absorption) when consumed orally due to its rapid metabolism in the liver and intestinal wall. However, piperine (black pepper) is a bioavailability enhancer that allows substances to remain in cells for longer periods of time. The studies found that by consuming turmeric with black pepper, the bioavailability was increased by 154%!  In Indian foods, the average dietary intake of turmeric in the Indian population ranges between 2 to 2.5 grams. Pepper was the one of the first crops that was cultivated in India and is consumed together with turmeric. They noted that the rates for colorectal, prostate, and lung cancers in India are one of the lowest in the world.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that the compounds curcumin and piperine could play an important role in preventing and even treating breast cancer. The research shows curcumin and piperine target stem cells (unspecialized cells that can give rise to any type of cell in an organ). This is of major significance because cancer stem cells comprise the small number of cells inside a tumor that fuel the growth of malignancies. More good news: the compounds had no effect on the normal process of cell development known as cell differentiation. That means the spice compounds are not toxic to normal breast tissue.

So, suffice it to say I'll be adding more Indian dishes to my cooking repertoire!

Tofu

Vegan Munchies

Ever get tired of the usual chip and dip routine? A bowl of peanuts or pretzels? I know I do. Ugh. I like those things just fine, but sometimes an occasion calls for something more thrilling to the taste buds. For me, that's actually just about any occasion where snack and finger foods are on the menu.

The last family party we went to the offerings consisted of cheese, cheese, cheese, oh, and cheese, and bacon wrapped something. Did I mention there was cheese? Not much there for the conscientious vegan to nosh on. Luckily, I did bring a couple of things, knowing all too well the likelihood of yummy snack availability was low.

Fortunately, I like to entertain. Low key, come as you are, no frills. I much prefer enjoyable, chatty visits than full scale parties where I barely get to see much less talk to anyone. Those have there place, don't get me wrong, and hey, I'm planning one such in a few months to celebrate my birthday. But mostly I like things on a smaller scale.

Take New Years Eve, for example. Hubby and I make up a batch of munchies, the kids invite friends over. Small, yes, but a big way to bring in the new year!  A childhood friend of my son was so enamored of my snacks, he said he could almost convert to veganism. Hey, it's at least a step in the right direction. Winning converts through their stomach!

Cajun Crunchies

Extra firm tofu, frozen in container, boiled to thaw, drained, pressed and cut into 1/4" slices
2 T. olive oil
1 t. Cajun seasoning
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Toss the tofu strips with the remaining ingredients. Arrange in a single layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, turning over once. When done, let cool before serving.

Make sure you don't cut these slices too thin or they get more crunchy than you want!

Fireballs

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. minced green onions
1 minced garlic clove
3 T. vital wheat gluten
3 T. unseasoned bread crumbs
4 T. Tabasco
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. cayenne
1/4 c. vegan butter

Press beans to remove any excess liquid. Put beans in food processor with pecans, green onions, garlic, vital wheat gluten, bread crumbs, 2 T. Tabasco, salt and cayenne. Pulse until mix well, but leaving some texture. Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls. Place the balls on a lightly oiled baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350, turning about half way through.
In a small saucepan, combine 2 T. Tabasco with the vegan butter and melt over low. Pour over the fireballs and bake 10 minutes longer. Serve.

Enjoy!