Chipotle Seitan Stew

Ok, Jenny. The first recipe posting is for you.

Chipotle Seitan Stew for Jenny

This dish is so easy. Fast, healthy, yummy, all those things rushing (or very hungry) people need. If you need your MEAT, then by all means replace the seitan with something else. Just don’t ask me how or what because I haven’t done it. :-) If you can’t do wheat gluten or meat, you could do tofu – but I recommend either cooking the dish longer so the tofu absorbs the flavors completely or using a pre-marinated tofu.

Concept we’re going for: Warm, chewy chunks of seitan, bit of spicy and peppery bite, fresh and sweetly sour contributions from tomatoes, and the sweetness of sautéed onions and yellow bell peppers, depth from the other herbs and spices.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped

½ yellow bell pepper, sliced into small thin strips

one package of pre-cooked, marinated Westsoy Seitan (8 oz), sliced

1 large heirloom or other fresh sweet tomato (or 2 small-medium tomatoes), chopped

herbs and spices: ground cumin, paprika, chipotle, thyme, oregano

salt and black pepper to taste

I sautéed the onion and a pinch of salt in olive oil on medium heat until the onions began to soften. I added the yellow bell pepper, sautéed for just a couple minutes, and added the sliced seitan with the juice from the package. I let this simmer for a few minutes. Then I added a bit of cumin (maybe ½ tsp?), perhaps a teaspoon each of paprika, thyme, and oregano, a bit of freshly ground black pepper, and a dash of chipotle (if you like super spicy add more). I let the spices begin to release their aroma and coat all the veggies and seitan. When the bottom of the pan began to get dry, I added the tomatoes and a bit more salt, turned the heat down to medium low, and put a lid on it. The dish simmered at a lovely bubble and the tomatoes began to break down, creating a saucy stew. I probably simmered the dish for maybe 10 minutes and it was ready to go. Taste and see what you think it needs. May need more salt, may want some fresh herbs (cilantro or Italian parsley would work nicely).

I served this with a salad and black rice mushroom risotto (yup, that will have to be another posting – if I can remember how I made it.)

Note: if you don’t like spicy, you can replace the chipotle with smoked mild paprika to keep the smoky flavor.

Enjoy!

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What is seitan? It’s vital wheat gluten, prepared in broth and spices to make a chewy, slightly spongy vegetarian protein source. Surprisingly tasty! One serving of the seitan used in this recipe has 18g of protein. Pretty cool, huh?

You can make your own seitan also; purchase a package of dry vital wheat gluten from your local health food store or Whole Foods and follow the directions on the package. You can add any spices or marinades you want, or make it into veggie sausage.