Perfect Barbecued Seitan

seitan, preferably homemade
garlic powder
onion powder
nutritional yeast
2-3 drops liquid smoke
olive oil
barbecue sauce

Cut the seitan into bitesize chunks. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, and liquid smoke and toss to coat. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a frying pan. Dump the coated seitan in the pan and let sit for a minute or so before turning. A brownish crispy crust will form on the seitan pieces. When they're browned on all sides, dump in the barbecue sauce and lower the heat to a very low simmer. When hot, consume!

(If you're going to use store-bought seitan, you might want to simmer it in water + soy sauce for a few minutes in order to make it all tender and juicy. I'm too much of a cheapskate to buy it, so I make my own, using the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance.)

Crunchy Seitan Fingers

* 1 lb. seitan strips, no more than 1/4-inch thick
* 1 cup panko
* 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* 1 tsp onion powder
* 1 tsp seasoning salt
* a few dashes each black pepper & paprika
* 1/4 cup flour
* 1/2 cup seitan marinade or water
* 1 tsp cornstarch
* canola oil for frying

If using store-bought seitan, simmer in veggie broth or water + soy sauce for 15 minutes. (If using homemade, they should already be sufficiently juicy) Combine the panko, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and paprika and spread on a dinner plate. Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Whisk together the marinade or water and cornstarch in a shallow dish. Line up your dishes as follows:

1. Seitan strips
2. Flour
3. Cornstarch/liquid mixture
4. Panko mixture

Heat a thin layer of canola oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When it's bubbling, coat a seitan strip in the flour, then dip it in the cornstarch mixture, then roll in the panko mixture. When you've coated 4 or 5 strips, lay them in the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove to a flattened brown paper bag or paper towels to drain off the oil. Then consume!

I used the homemade seitan recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. We feverishly devoured our finished fingers with barbecue sauce and hot mustard. Delish!

Creamy 'Chikin' Pot Pie

When I first started eating vegetarian, I didn't understand the thriving market of meat substitutes. After all, I don't like the taste of meat... why would I try to replicate its taste and texture? And overall, I still think that new veg*ns are better off staying away from faux meaty/creamy favorites. Learn to love the new food for what it is, not as a pale substitute for remembered past glory.

Still, the longer I do this, the more I see the necessity of occasionally replicating those favorite comfort foods. The better you can satisfy a craving, the less likely you are to fall off the wagon. If you can convince your body and your brain that the way you eat is now is just as good (if not better) than how you ate before, you're much more likely to stick with it.

Today was a hard day. Two of my recently acquired office fish died over the weekend. When I came home, I just wanted a taste of the past. Of comfort. Of home.

2/3 cup faux-chicken tenders (White Wave chickeny seitan would work well here), diced
1 cob of corn, kernels cut off
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 med carrot, diced
1 head baby garlic (or 2-3 cloves), smashed
1 cups Imagine creamy portobello soup
1/2 cup dry cashew gravy mix
1/3 cup Vegenaise
a few shakes each pepper and celery flakes
1/4 tsp sage
1 package (6) puff pastry shells

Set out the puff pastry and the faux-chicken bits to thaw. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Steam the carrots for a few minutes, or until tender. Put the carrots, faux-chicken bits, peas, and corn in the bottom of a pie plate.

Meanwhile, combine the soup and cashew gravy mix in a small saucepan and cook until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in sage, pepper, celery flakes and Vegenaise. Pour the mixture over the veggies.

Set the thawed puff pastry shells on top, brush or spray with oil, and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until browned and puffed up.

Basic Mediterranean Pasta

Tonight our planned broccoli-chickpea dish was derailed by the unwelcome presence of a worm in our broccoli. Thus, we needed something to throw together in no time at all. This took roughly 5 minutes and definitely hit the spot.

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 14-oz can whole black olives
2 large spoonfuls artichoke hearts
1 tsp capers
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
a few fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Saute the garlic in some of the oil from the artichokes. When browned, add the tomatoes, artichokes, olives and capers. Add the nutritional yeast and heat until bubbly and hot. Serve over pasta!

Ginger Limeade

This nauseous-when-I-haven't-eaten thing is annoying, but fortunately it's easy to beat. I whipped this up while waiting for dinner tonight, and it really hit the spot.

1 knuckle-sized piece of ginger, grated
12 oz. water
3 ice cubes
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp maple syrup

Stir and be refreshed.