Leftover Stuffed Pepper, Seattle & Dinner Plans

What’s for dinner?

Thomas and I are going to Seattle for the weekend, leaving Friday after work. He’s an obsessive barista at an independent coffeeshop in town and we will be attending Coffeefest. I am stoked to spend a weekend up there, and exploring the city again. We’re already set on going to The Globe again, Thomas’s favorite, and I’ll try to make my way to Teapot Vegetarian again, and finally visit the Mighty-O storefront. This has us both spending less money this week, and looking forward to spending it during our trip.

I’m trying to cook out of the cabinets and fridge, and have been using canned goods, eating soup for days and making seitan – is it the colder season or what? A couple days ago I made another half batch of Sundried Tomato & Italian Herb Seitan O’Greatness, because I just don’t want pay $3+ for a pack of albeit delicious, Tofurkey sausages when I can make it at home. The sundried tomato tofurkeys are the only faux ‘hot dog’ you’ll catch me buying for myself (typically cheapest at Trader Joe’s, FYI)
The original recipe by Lacheis on the PPK forums was inadvertently based on Joann Stepaniak’s Seitan Pastrami and since the forums are down I can’t point you that way, but I will share with you my slightly modified one. I still think it’s missing a little “something” and would like to try it with fresh basil, this third time was even better than the previous 2. If you have any pesto floating around, try adding a tablespoon with the wet ingredients.

Sundried Tomato & Italian Herb Seitan O’Greatness (half batch)

Dry Ingredients:

3/4 c. vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon sea salt
3/4 t. paprika
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch organic sugar
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 ¼ teaspoons freshly ground pepper

Wet Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of crushed sundried tomatoes (I don’t use oil-packed and I process them in my old coffee grinder), rehydrated in ¼ + 2 tablespoons warm water
1.5 tablespoons tomato paste
1 T. olive oil
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed well

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well, then knead with your hands for 5-8 minutes.
4. Form into a log (4-6" long), wrap tightly in foil, twisting ends. I use two layers, since I have had the foil open up before, and that dries it out. Bake for one hour.
   
5. When done baking, unwrap and leave out to cool all the way. I store mine in Tupperware in the fridge.
   
6. When you’re reading to use, slice as desired and dig right in or cook and add to your meals.
   

I grilled a few slices of this to have as part of my lunch today, and had some of the more-burnt ones with this stuffed pepper last night. We had eaten the ‘soupier’ parts of the Tomato, Rice, Roasted Garlic & White Bean soup I recreated from Veganomicon, and both thought it best to stuff peppers with the rest. This gorgeous pepper was $1 from the farmer’s market, and is topped with nutritional yeast, breadcrumbs, sea salt and pepper. I sprayed it lightly with oil, and baked at 400F was about 25 minutes, to lightly brown.

And since I received my tester copy of Veganomicon yesterday, I have some tempeh marinading overnight for a Smokey Tempeh dinner tonight. Having a giant block of tempeh in the freezer is so handy.