Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
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Seitan and Borscht -- back to top
I was very excited to finally make seitan. I followed the recipe from my dad's book. The gist is, 1 cup vital wheat gluten with 3/4 cup water (it came together with a bit less). Knead for a while, let sit for 20-30 minutes, roll into logs, simmer covered in simmering liquid for 1-1.5 hours. I made the simmering liquid with 5 cups light broth (I blasphemed and used real chicken broth since I didn't care about the vegetarianism), 1 cup white wine, 1/3 cup soy sauce. I took it off a bit early because I like it firm. It was a bit too firm. Also, while it expanded in the liquid, it then shrunk again. Overall, I thought it wasn't as good as when my dad made it. I will need to play a bit more, cook it a bit longer, and use it in something rather than just as the main dish.
The borscht was AMAZING! We used the same recipe as last time. Again, we used real mushroom over the dried (and not many of them). We also went heavy on the beats, light on the potatoes (Yukon Gold with the skin on), and we didn't have carrots. Other than that, we basically followed the recipe. We used Texas Pete hot sauce (we had samples of it) but I didn't really taste it. We also used the beet greens but Meredith carefully double washed each one (we had gritty beet greens last time and these looked extra dirty). I do not know if it was the beets or something else but this was just very, very good. Really sweet despite not much sugar. We will definitely do it again since it was easy and very good. We only stained a few things with the beets so that was also a plus.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1310, 2011-07-26_121058
Buffalo Seitan and Kale -- back to top
I made seitan using the recipe in my dads book. It is basically 1 cup of vital wheat gluten and 3/4 cup of water. I used mostly water but added about a Tbsp or two of Franks Red Hot. I used the food processor with the dough blade. It came together a bit strangely and as a lot of pieces. Nothing like last time. But then again, last time it was a huge rubbery ball and this time it was more elastic. Anyway, I made a simmering liquid with mostly water, some white wine, and more Franks. After letting it simmer for 1:15, I cut it and topped it with a home-made buffalo sauce (that is, Franks red-hot and some melted Olivio). It definitely tasted like what you would expect for buffalo seitan however it was a bit salty. Still, quite tasty and I would say successful.
We also made sautéd dino kale.
Note that the seitan is about 6.5 Points Plus per person and it made a lot.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 1461, 2011-10-18_095721
Seitan and garlic and oil spaghetti squash -- back to top
I basically followed the same seitan recipe from my dad. I again used the food processor. I made the regular dark simmering liquid. I also added a bunch of different seasonings to the dough including some sriracha to the liquid part.
Overall, it was pretty good, but nowhere near as good as either the store bought, or my dads. Both the flavor and, more importantly, the texture. He uses the same recipe so I need to talk to him about_exactly_ what he does.
I also made a garlic and oil sauce and mixed in some leftover spaghetti squash.Unfortunately, it turns out the points of the olive oil (estimated about 7) were higher than the seitan (about 6 for half the recipe). Oh well. Still a low dinner.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2108, 2012-07-10_184720
Salsa Seitan and Steamed Broccoli -- back to top
I just threw this together. I sautéd onions then added a thing of seitan. I then added Pace Hot Salsa. I let it cook down and then added a bunch of low fat mexican cheese. I actually added way too much. I'll cut down on that next time. (to save calories and it wasn't needed)
I steamed broccoli (faster than roasting) and added some sprinkle cheese, and some white cheddar popcorn cheese stuff.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2910, 2012-12-17_204818
(Almost Vegan) Broccoli "Beef" with homemade (almost vegan) "Oyster" sauce -- back to top
I made a vegetarian (and extremely almost vegan) Broccoli "Beef".I replaced the beef with seitan strips (and I did still marinate it in the marinade). I bought 2x 8oz boxes (the WestSoy red boxes)
Replacing the oyster sauce was harder. I made a vegetarian (and almost vegan) oyster sauce from the recipe below. Instead of mushroom bouillon cubes, I used Better Than Bullion mushroom base. It has milk derivatives which is why this whole meal wasn't vegan. I used a garlic and black bean sauce instead of just black-bean. And finally, I used turbinado sugar instead of brown. I may have let it cook down a bit too much since it was rather thick but it was enough for what I needed.
Other than that, I followed the recipe pretty closely except doubled. I also used the mushroom base instead of chicken broth. I steamed the broccoli in the microwave. Alton Brown had mentioned that the microwave ruins the nutrients but based on the comments in this The Kitchn article and the linked NYtimes article, I decided it was probably still fine. (and considering I made over two pounds, it was really the only way)
Overall, I liked it very much. The seitan did perfectly well in place of the beef. I cannot say the sauce tasted identical, but it was either pretty close and/or perfectly good on its own.
The whole meal was pretty low point-wise. There were two boxes of seitan as the main points contributor. It made 2 Justin-size meals or one Justin size and two Meredith size (she had leftovers for lunch -- It wasn't that it was_that _much food, it's just that not everyone can eat a pound of broccoli). I would definitely do it vegan (or vegetarian) again.
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Vegan Oyster Sauce (from Food.com)
Local Copy -- password is the name of my dog, all lower case
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6194, 2013-06-17_215418
Broccoli Slaw Red Curry with Seitan -- back to top
My obsession with broccoli continues. I tried to make a broccoli slaw pasta-ish dish. I steamed broccoli slaw for about 4 minutes. While that was happening, I half an onion and half a pepper. I then added a box of cubed seitan. I added the slaw and a whole bottle of Trader Joes Red Curry sauce (12 points in the whole thing). I mixed it all and let it cook down.
I like the idea of trying broccoli slaw as pasta, but I definitely need to steam it longer. It was still crunchy and after a while, I felt like I was just eating straw. I should also continue to explore other sauces. This one was pretty good but was too rich by the end.
Still, this was relatively low point (only other source of points was the seitan) and quick meal. I will try to expand on it in the future
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6201, 2013-06-20_215634
Balsamic Broccoli with Seitan and Yellow Squash -- back to top
I made my own seitan and used it to make a quick version of the balsamic broccoli.
For the seitan, I googled for Mark Bittman's recipe and found The Messy Apron site which I used as a guide. I used
I put it all in the food processor with the dough blade on the dough setting and added the liquids. It splattered everywhere inside so I need to do it better next time. I let it combine and eventually added a bit more gluten. The food processor really seemed to chop it up and it took a while to combine. When it eventually did, it seemed like it had been well chopped (not really a good thing). I let it sit for 20 minutes and then when I was going to cook it, I used my hands to stretch and mold it. Then it seemed to come together, look shiny, and be more what I expected. I think I should have done that before resting it (if it would work, not sure if the rest is what let it do that) or, at the very least, let it rest again for a while.
Anyway, to cook it, I read on the gluten box, to use the pressure cooker. I mixed:
I let it come to pressure and then I cooked it for 30 minutes (heat setting 3/10 on the induction burner) and let it naturally release (takes about another 5-10). They cooked up interestingly. There was a much more noticeable skin. And the bottoms were a bit more cooked and browned. Finally, the liquid turned into a syrup. I think I should have used heat setting 2/10.
As you can see from the picture, it was very airy. The final result had a nice texture and was pretty good, though too salty (reading over the ingredients, I am not surprised). I think I would consider the pressure cooker again if I am in a hurry but I was to try boiling it next time. Plus, then you have the leftover liquid to let it sit in.
It made just under a pound of seitan
For the balsamic broccoli, I basically went for a faster version of my previous iteration. I added:
For the veggies,
I had to use broccoli with the stalks. So I cut off and chopped the crowns and then finely chopped the stalks. I steamed all of them: I finely chopped the yellow squash but didn't steam it.
I added the squash to the pan and sautéed for a minute or so. I then added the sliced seitan and the broccoli. Finally, I added the sauce and let it all cook together.
The whole thing wasn't as good as prior times I did the balsamic broccoli. I do not know if it was the extra dressing or the lack of other ingredients. I don't_think_ it had to do with omitting the oil (and saving points!) but maybe.
The points for the whole thing came out really low:
| Item | x | Cal | Fat | Carbs | protein | fiber | per | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ff dressing | 8 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.33 | 2.61 |
| Corn starch | 1.5 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.76 | 1.14 |
| Vital Wheat Gluten | 16 | 35 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 7.00 | 0.00 | 0.75 | 11.98 |
| Total | 725.00 | 0.00 | 50.50 | 112.00 | 0.00 | 15.72 | ||
| Per Serving | 2 | 362.50 | 0.00 | 25.25 | 56.00 | 0.00 | 7.86 |
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 6433, 2013-08-05_092306
Seitan Chorizo Topped with Poached Eggs -- back to top
Meredith and I made breakfast for us and Emily. I made the seitan chorizo multiplied by 1.5x. Meredith poached eggs (without vinegar too) and we topped it with scallions (it was some weird asian kind. I'll ask Meredith and update it)
The whole thing was pretty good. I am really liking this seitan chorizo recipe (and I have done it a lot in the past few weeks). It was also a great protein packed breakfast.
2020-11-27 note: the truth has finally come out. Emily had requested “poached eggs” which Meredith begrudgingly made. Only after she made it did Emily realize she meant to say “Fried eggs”
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7059, 2014-01-05_135130
Indian Seitan and Carrot + Parsnip soup -- back to top
I had done a bit of reading on seitan and most recipes call for a 1:1 vital wheat gluten to water (by volume) ratio. I decided to test it with sausages. I also tried adding all seasonings to the water instead of the dough. I used the following ingredients. I brought it all together and manually kneaded it for 5 minutes. I really liked how it came together. It was easier to form and felt like less of a mass of rubber.
Formed into 5 equal pieces (3 dinner, 2 lunch). Pressure steamed on setting 2 for 25 minutes. (But too much and not good. See below)
I decided to try cooking it like sausages but steaming in the pressure cooker. I do not know if it was the heat, cook time, method (in the aluminum foil) or something else, but I didn't love the texture or the flavor of this attempt. First of all, I forgot the salt! That was pretty noticeable. And too much seasoning. But it just didn't taste like seitan! So, next time, I will do the 1:1 ratio but with more normal ingredients. I think I will still cook it in the pressure cooker but I will simmer (without foil) instead of steam. You can also see that I tried 3 different shapes.
The soup was more straight-forward. I did the following:
I cooked it all for about 20 minutes, immersion blended it, and gave it another 5 minutes. The soup was pretty good. Not overly nuanced like last time but sweet and flavorful. And very easy. It was a bit thick. I would go with another cup of water.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7240, 2014-02-09_213229
Cauliflower Fritters and Seitan -- back to top
I made cauliflower fritters with the regular recipe with a bunch of feta, rosemary, paprika, and other seasonings. They came out a bit wet but I was afraid to cook them too much longer as I could smell the cheese melting. So, they were a tad undercooked but really, really good. The feta really adds a lot of flavor! And they are really easy!
I also tried seitan again. I tried to use the 1:1 ratio (by volume) but it really was too wet. I ended up adding extra gluten to make it more doughy. The ingredients (including the gluten are below). I cooked them in the pressure cooker (no aluminum foil) for 30 minutes (Time starts when steam vents, setting 2/10 to hold pressure). I combined the dry ingredients a bowl and the wet in a cup. I mixed them and then hand-kneaded for 5 minutes (timed!) I didn't rest the dough. I keep reading mixed reviews on if that matters
Dough:
Broth:
They were better than last time but still not incredible. They were almost too light and fluffy. I think I need to increase the gluten. Also, I want to work out a measure by weight for both the water and the gluten
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7247, 2014-02-12_083652
Seitan (and Broccoli Seitan) -- back to top
I made seitan based on the same idea as last time. I really followed the same basic recipe for the dry. For the wet, I messed up and added some extra stuff that I meant to save for the broth. Oh well, it turned out okay though maybe a little bit sweet.
I made more broth and simmered the entire thing. I do not yet know how it is cool, but when warm and cut, it is much spongier. I need to read me to find out what to adjust to change that (not sure I want to, but I want to have the options). I didn't use cheese cloth but I will still keep it in the recipe.
Then, I made the regular broccoli beef (without the marinade) and with a purchased vegan oyster sauce. I decided to try the wok that I attempted to re-season. You could still see the rust underneath but could feel the layer of oil on top. I figured that the worst that could happen is there would be a little extra iron in our food.
Dry:
Wet:
Broth:
Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Slowly add the wet to the dry. Knead by hand to fully combine. Knead in the food processor for 30 seconds. Knead by hand to combine, then split into four servings. Knead to clean up the loaves,Wrap in cheesecloth (optional). Let sit for 15 minutes.
Combine broth ingredients and bring to a simmer. Add rested seitan blocks and simmer (2/10 on induction) for 60 minutes.
Note: This does not include the sesame oil since I often skip it and it does not count calories in the broth since they are negligible in the final product
Item
serv. size
x
Cal
Fat
Carbs
protein
fiber
per
Total
Vital Wheat Gluten
100g
2.5
370
1.80
14.00
75.00
0.60
8.79
21.98
Flour
100g
0.5
366
1.40
80.00
6.00
2.40
9.40
4.70
Nutritional Yeat
100g
0.2
281
3.00
31.00
50.00
25.00
6.71
1.34
Mirin
1 Tbsp
1
33.8
0.00
9.50
0.10
0.00
1.04
1.04
Total
1198.00
5.80
90.70
200.60
7.70
29.06
Per Serving
4
299.50
1.45
22.68
50.15
1.93
7.27
For the full meal, you would want to include the small addition from the (vegan) oyster sauce and the oil used in stir-frying. Maybe 6-8 points of oil total.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 8880, 2014-09-26_073707
Thai Style Sweet and Sour Seitan -- back to top
I made a Thai-Style sweet and sour stir-fry but with seitan (I forget the brand name) instead of meat (or tofu). I followed this recipe [local] pretty closely. My changes were:
Other than that, I basically did what it said. I was a bit worried that it (a) wouldn't be wet enough and (b) lack the flavors but I was pleasantly surprised. The tomatoes gave it a lot of moisture and the flavors were all there.
The jalapeños (incl. seeds) made it very spicy. I still really liked it. I think next time, I would use Thai peppers instead of jalapeno. And I would add red bell peppers. The recipe says you can also do broccoli, but I think, at leat for how I like to eat broccoli, I would want to up the sauce amounts too.
Sweet and sour chicken or tofu (Phad Prew Waan) (from Thai Farm Cooking School)
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Quick Balsamic Stir-Fry -- back to top
Meredith wasn’t very hungry and had her own leftovers so I threw together a stir-fry. I used my standard Balsamic Sauce recipe but threw together all of the vegetables.
See the photo below for a picture while cooking. I used mostly leftovers and things I had around. I am probably missing something, but it was
And WestSoy Seitan.
Overall, it was ok. I feel like this was not the best of the balsamic sauce iterations. But it may just be the mix of vegetables. Anyway, it was a quick and easy meal.
Thai Style Sweet and Sour Seitan -- back to top
I made sweet and sour seitan from the same recipe as last time. I did have to make some changes. The recipe is not in a great order. I basically just divided it up into three things:
Basically the same changes as last time including the jalapeños, except I think I went overboard on the pineapple (probably around 3/4 of one) and the onion (around 1 cup or 4x). There was basically too much solids for the liquids and it wasn't as flavorful.
If I make it again, I will try to go lighter on the bulk. And probably turn it into its own recipe page....
Broccoli Seitan (homemade) -- back to top
I made broccoli seitan. Everything was pretty run-of-the-mill except that I made my own seitan.
I did not use my regular recipe which I am rethinking anyway.
I followed the guidance from this recipe (local) which is also on YouTube. I actually didn't use her recipe, but I used her numbers, at least to start, but the big thing was that I used her method to cook it. I rolled it up in aluminum foil and steamed it but for 90 minutes to account for altitude. I still want to keep playing with it, but I liked this cooking method. I didn't have to deal with simmering, I could control the size and shape, and I was able to basically set-and-forget it (though I had to add water).
The flavors were pretty good. I thought it needed more salt and/or flavor. I will add some wine next time and more savory things like more soy sauce or some miso paste. And it was also less spongy (for better or worse)
The key differences I was trying besides the cooking method was to combine and knead by hand to avoid making it too springy. I also wanted to make it with more water. As such, I started with just 200g of vital wheat gluten but I added 20 more as I was kneading. I also added the gluten to the liquid as opposed to the other way around.
Combine all but the gluten1 in the blender. Pour liquid into a bowl and slowly add the gluten and incorporate.
Knead for 1-2 minutes. Spray aluminum foil in pam. For the dough into log and wrap with the foil. Let rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Steam for 60-90 minutes.
I cannot remember if I added the nutritional yeast to the blender or the gluten. I think I did the blender but next time, I'd just do the gluten ↩
Seitan Balsamic Stir-Fry -- back to top
I worked really late and needed to make something fast. I also wanted to use the new type of seitan I bought (pictured below) so I made a quick stir-fry. It was just a one kohlrabi and a quarter head of cabbage. I roughly halved my usual balsamic sauce though I probably should have done a full amount.
There were two real problems with this dish.
It was nice having a quick and easy meal, but this was not a good meal
Broccoli Seitan -- back to top
I made the standard broccoli beef but with seitan cubes from the grocery store. I also forgot the ginger and garlic, which was noticed, but it was still pretty good. It also made a ton of food but was relatively healthy meal.
I also liked these seitan cubes. I would use them again