I know. You don't have to say it. This picture does not look at all appealing, does it? I posted this picture on my Facebook page to see how many people actually knew what it was and I got several comical answers. For example: marinated cooked chicken, beef brains for tacos, ground turkey, peanut butter fudge, and cookie dough. If I didn't know what it was I would have went with cat food. But no my wonderful friends. This lovely product is called seitan (say-tan).
What is seitan? It is the protein portion of wheat and it is used as a meat substitute. It is virtually fat free, low in sodium, and a good source of protein. Check out this site for more information and recipes. Like tofu, seitan absorbs the flavor of whatever you cook it with, but seitan has more protein and is lower in fat than tofu. Personally, I do not like the texture of tofu so even though I was hesitant to try seitan, I was pleasantly surprised. It really does taste like "meat" and I usually add it to a stir fry. Here is another good site to check out that compares tofu to seitan. Seitan is a good meat substitute for both vegetarians and vegans. If it was used in a dish and I wasn't told, I probably wouldn't even realize it wasn't meat. It is that deceiving.
I buy seitan at my local natural foods store, Natural Grocers. It is not carried in my every day grocery store, which may be considered a negative. The first link above includes a recipe if you wanted to make seitan yourself.
Is anyone else out there experimenting with seitan? What are your thoughts? Have any recipes to share?
I love comments!!
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