Basic Seitan

*last updated July 2021

It's been over 2 months since I switched to a [mostly] plant-based diet and I haven't felt this good in a long time! No shade-throwing to carnivores; I believe there is nutritious value to animal-based proteins. To me, it all came down [mostly] to the cost of eating quality meat with the amount of protein I am required to consume; I'd go broke buying pasture-raised, grain-fed, organic proteins. I also felt like my digestion felt better with decreased consumption of animal meats so, here I am...Betty is vegetarian.

As a bodybuilder, I also needed to make sure that my ratios were appropriate for a high-protein, moderate-carbohydrate, and moderate-fat diet. Tofu is great and all but I needed a source of protein that was mostly that. Here comes the magical seitan. The first time I made it...ew. The second time I made it...double ew. There had to be another way to make this that would actually give me hopes for longevity with vegetarianism...I found it! I have tweaked this recipe multiple times and it keeps getting better. This is a basic recipe which means you can play around with the seasonings to give it whatever flair you prefer. You can eat it sliced, cubed, or even ground up in a food processor to make an amazing meatless lasagna!

Let me know how this turns out!

Basic Seitan Recipe: 180 grams vital wheat gluten

50 grams unflavored pea protein powder

10 grams olive oil

5 grams of liquid smoke

20 grams nutritional yeast 30 grams soy sauce or liquid aminos (if soy-free)

300 grams of water

10 grams minced or crushed garlic

5 grams minced or crushed ginger

1 tsp salt

Seasonings of preference. For this recipe I used

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp cracked pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 mild chili powder

1/4 smoky paprika

Let's get cooking:

1. In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, add olive oil, liquid smoke, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, water, garlic, salt, and seasonings.

2. In a separate bowl, combine vital wheat gluten and pea protein powder.

3. Mix in medium setting and add the dry mixture.

4. "Knead" with an electric mixer for 7 to 10 minutes for gluten development.

5. In an instant pot, add 2 cups of water and a trivet at the bottom. Loosely wrap the seitan "dough" in parchment paper and wrap again in aluminum foil. Set the vent to "sealing" and use the "steam" option. Steam for 45 minutes. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can do this with boiling water and steaming it for 1 hour or until it reaches a hardened texture.

6. Let rest for 1 hour before cutting or processing. Macros per 85 grams (3 ounces) of seitan: 7g carbs - 3g fats - 28g protein

Recipe yields ~ 22 ounces