Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, and as much as we delight in the great food and the company of friends and family, cooking a feast can be a challenge if you’ve recently made a big dietary change, like going vegan. Never fear: you can eat amazing food with no animal products on the table. If you’re looking for a way to ditch the turkey, seitan is a popular option with veteran vegans. Easy to make and easy to infuse with your favorite flavors, this is a must-try for a main course.
A note on vital wheat gluten: it is distilled gluten and is therefore definitely not gluten-free, so keep that in mind if you’ve got allergies in the family. It can be found in most health stores, but if you’re having trouble sourcing it locally, it’s a shelf-stable ingredient that can be bought online, sometimes in bulk.
Simple Seitan
Seitan, sometimes known as “mock duck” or “wheat meat” is a high-protein vegan dish that resembles meat in texture. You can use seitan as you would chicken or tofu and the flavors can be easily adjusted with herbs or spices to suit any dish you enjoy.
Servings: 6 (259 g )
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 40 min.
Ingredients
- 2 cups vital wheat gluten
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
- 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
- ½ small onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Directions
- Combine vital wheat gluten and nutritional yeast. Stir in soy sauce and enough broth to form a thick dough.
- Knead dough until elastic and easy to handle. Shape as desired—common shapes include loaves, balls and patties.
- Place dough in large saucepan and add remaining broth, onion and garlic. If necessary, add enough water to cover seitan.
- Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30 to 45 minutes. Dough should be firm. Cool in broth or serve warm.