One of the harder parts of being vegan or vegetarian is cooking. So I'm going to help all my fellow cooking-impaired veggie-lovers by telling them how easy it is to make their own vegetarian alternatives!
Recipe for Seitan (vegan meat substitute)
1/2 gallon water
1 small chunk of ginger
1/4 cup of soy sauce or Bragg's liquid Aminos
1/2 cup gluten flour
1/2 to 1 cup warm water
Makes approximately 1 pound.
1. Begin to boil the 1/2 gallon of water, ginger and soy sauce in a large pot
2. Mix the gluten with warm water, mixing with hands until it absorbs the water.
3. Run cold water over it and knead it underwater for a few minutes. Change the water when it becomes cloudy. Make sure the gluten is fresh, or the gluten blob will fall apart. If this happens, pour the water through a wire strainer, and take care to keep all of the gluten together.
4. After the water has reached a rolling boil, cut finger-sized pieces of gluten and drop them into the pot. Cook them for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Make sure you don't boil too long or it will turn rubbery.
Each item equals one egg
2 oz. mashed beans or potatoes
1/4 cup whipped tofu
2 tbsp water + 1 tbsp oil + 2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp ground flax seed simmered in 3 tbsp water
2 tbsp water + 2 tsp baking powder
In sweet baking:
1/2 mashed banana
1/4 cup apple sauce
This article appears in the Feb. 13, 2006 print edition of La Voz.
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