Hoisin-Seitan Spring Rolls

A week ago I posted this seitan recipe and we whipped up three fantastic recipes. Then we had this little old Half-Ironman that got in the way of me posting! Spring rolls are one of my favorite foods. Light, cool, and full of fresh herbs and vegetables they are a perfect vehicle for peanut sauce. Here we use seitan in lieu of sliced pork, and you'll hardly notice a difference! On a nutrition note, spring rolls are a great way to sneak a variety of veggies in to a handheld snack or appetizer. Don't limit yourself - shredded zucchini, cucumber strips, shredded beets, the possibilities are endless.


Spring rolls may seem complex at first, but don't let it fool you - a little preparation and you're off and rolling (sorry) in no time. A lot of recipes will tell you to dip the rice paper wrappers in boiling water, but I've found that they shrivel up to nothing when I do that. Instead, I run them under hot water until they feel pliable. We ate these with a side salad of diced mango and cucumber with a little red chili and ginger. Seitan was the perfect substitute for sliced pork and we used a thin layer of hoisin to add a rich flavor to the seitan. As I mentioned in my original seitan post, it's a little bland so a touch of sauce truly transforms it!

If you end up with extra filling, this is also delicious as a cold salad. Simply toss noodles with vegetables, setian and the peanut sauce! The rolls will keep (refrigerated) 1-2 days and travel well to work for lunch. Most grocery stores will carry rice paper wrappers and hoisin in the asian foods aisle. These are based on my original version (with shrimp) here.

Makes about 10-12 rolls

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/8 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar (we use xylitol*)

• 1 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 Tbsp  rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup Peanut Butter 
• 1/2 tsp sririacha
• 1/4 cup coconut milk 

• 10-12  8" rice paper wrappers
• 3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
•  mint and basil leaves, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 large bunch sunflower sprouts (or butter lettuce)
• Roughly15-20 slices of seitan (I used about 1/3 of the seitan recipe for all 12 rolls)
• 4 oz thin rice noodles

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a bowl, toss the carrots, onion, 1/8 cup of the vinegar and 1 tsp sugar. Let stand 30 minutes. 
2. Boil water for the rice noodles, cook per instructions on box or boil for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain in colander.
3. In a bowl, mix the remaining vinegar and garlic. Microwave at high power for about 30 seconds, until the sugar is dissolved. Mash with fork.
4. Add peanut butter, sriracha, and coconut milk stir to combine. Adjust to taste.
5. Set up your work area by placing all bowls in a row: noodles, mint and basil, sprouts, seitan, and bell pepper. Also place hoisin in small bowl nearby. Have a platter handy for your finished rolls and a clean work surface to roll on.
6. Gently rinse 1 rice paper wrapper under hot water (bearable to touch) until the wrapper is pliable and clear. Stretch gently into a circle on your work surface.
7. Arrange 1-2 pcs of seitan on the lower third of the rice paper and brush with a touch of hoisin. 
8. Top with some mint and basil. Top with some of the yellow pepper, sprouts, rice noodles and the pickled vegetables.
9. Fold in the side ends sticking the paper to itself. Roll up tightly.
10. Place the roll on a platter and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Halve the rolls and serve with the sauce for dipping.

*Xylitol: Naturally occurring sugar substitute. About half the calories of refined sugar. Low glycemic index of 13 compared to glucose's 100 (making a good alternative for diabetics). Safe for teeth! We use this for almost all of our cooking/baking in lieu of refined sugar. It tastes just the same to me. 

Homemade Seitan (aka wheat meat)

As omnivores and chefs, playing with our food comes naturally to us. We've been experimenting a lot in the kitchen with meat alternatives as a way to decrease our meat consumption and increase our plant intake. Not to mention that meat products tend to be more expensive, have short shelf lives and tend to be high in fat. While tofu and tempeh are fun, we've been on the hunt for something that can stand in for sliced or shaved meat. Ta-da! We bring you SEITAN! I can't believe it's not meat! This stuff is amazing!! Our first try at making seitan ended up a bit ... chewy. Then we found a good recipe from Native Foods and it worked perfectly. 

What is seitan!? It's a meat substitute that can be sliced, shaved, cubed, sliced into steaks, marinated, baked, stir-fried, broiled and more! It's made from wheat flour, all purpose flour, vital wheat gluten and a richly flavored broth. Since I try to remove as much processed foods from our diet, deli meat is one of the things that is reserved as a special treat. It's easy to assume that the ham, chicken, and turkey you buy at the local deli is just that - ham, chicken and turkey, right!? It's just sliced, right?! WRONG. Even those packages of deli meat labelled "All Natural" are still heavily processed. The average deli meat is packed full of fat, filler, grain, water, chemicals and then pressed into the over-sized turkey breast shape you see in your deli counter. Hardly a healthy source of protein!!

So, here we are with a really unique wheat based meat that is supremely versatile, high in protein (due to the vital wheat gluten), extremely cheap to make, and lasts up to 3 weeks in the fridge or indefinitely in the freezer with NO funky ingredients, preservatives or chemicals. In your face Boar's Head!!! I personally recommend a second cooking (stir-fry, bake, broil, pan-crisp) before eating as it's pretty plain straight out of the pot. Next batch we will incorporate some spices into the dough to pump up the flavor a bit as well!

We used our meat slicer to shave the loaf into nice even slices for a week's worth of dinners and lunches! We are getting about 12 servings out of this loaf and each serving gives you about 195 calories, 8g protein and 4g fiber with no fat which means you've got plenty of room for healthy fats (avocado anyone?!).

Recipe from the highly recommended Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook

Makes 12 servings (We turn this into 3 meals for four!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup vital wheat gluten
• 2-2.5 cups water
• 1/2 tsp ea spices - cracked pepper, salt, oregano, garlic powder

Setian Broth:

• 10 cups water
• 2 cups soy sauce (or 1/2 cup soy sauce and 1-2 vegan bouillon cubes)
• 8 peeled cloves garlic
• 4 bay leaves
• 3 2" slices fresh ginger

• 1 12"x12" square cheesecloth and some kitchen twine 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring broth ingredients to a boil and keep covered, simmering while you do everything else.
2. In large bowl, whisk flours and gluten to combine. Form a well in the middle and slowly add water in the center of the well, whisking to combine flours and water. Continue adding water until you have to switch to kneading.
3. Knead, adding more water or flour as necessary. It will be a sticky dough.
4. Turn it out onto a floured counter and continue to knead until the dough (about 70 times) until you have a smooth ball. Place the dough in a bowl and allow to rise for 20 minutes.
5. Place the bowl with the dough in it in the sink and gently rinse the dough ball with water, kneading gently to "rinse" the milky starch away. It will take awhile of kneading and rinsing to get the water somewhat clear.
6. Form a rough oval with your dough ball and place it on the cheesecloth. Wrap the dough up in the cheesecloth forming a loaf and tie ends closed and maybe a few loops around the midsection.
7. Place the dough into the simmering broth, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat back to a simmer. Cook for 1 1/2 hours.
8. Remove from pot, allow to cool and slice for cooking or refrigerate for keeping!
9. SAVE the broth!! We freeze it in zip lock bags and use it as stock and deglaze for recipes (coming soon)

Per serving (1/12th of loaf)

Korean Tacos (Meatless)

Korean tacos - either you love them or you've never had them. I refuse to believe anyone doesn't like them! We originally made a quick-pulled pork version here and recently came up with this meatless version that's absolutely delicious (and takes less time)! If you're not familiar with Korean food this is a great opportunity to dive in to the unique flavors of Korean-fusion cuisine. Think - sweet and spicy gochujang, sour-hot-effervescent kimchee, and a multitude of textures from the crunchy cabbage to the crumbly "meat" filling. 

If you don't have a well-stocked Asian market near you there are plenty of substitutes for the kimchee and gochujang. If you can't find kimchee, you can make it or make a quick pickle similar to this one. Granted, a pickle won't have the same flavor or health benefits of fermented kimchee, but it's better than nothing! If you can't find gochujang (fermented hot pepper paste) you can substitute this homemade mix or if you can't find miso paste, simply mix sriracha with a dash each of honey, soy sauce and sesame oil.

For our meat substitute we used textured vegetable protein (TVP) which is simply defatted soy flour that can be easily reconstituted in water (or broth) and has the same protein content as meat. We found the TVP in the bulk section at Mother's Market and it's also sold by Bob's Red Mill (bagged products). Like any good meat substitute it absorbs the flavor of what you cook it with making it perfect for something as nicely flavored as Korean tacos! If you can't find or don't like TVP, try any kind of smart ground, or crumbled tofu or diced sauteed vegetables! On the side I served a simple slaw of finely sliced carrot, cucumber, daikon, snap peas, and cabbage dressed with a a pinch of white miso mixed with rice vinegar.

Serves 4 (2 tacos each)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 6 mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2-4 Tbsp gochujang (or 2-4 Tbsp mix of above alternatives) to taste
• 1 cup kimchee
• 8 tortillas (we used a corn-flour tortilla)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Saute minced mushrooms in 1 tsp sesame oil over medium heat, until tender.
2. Reconstitute TVP by combining water, TVP, soy sauce, cayenne and garlic powder in same pot with mushrooms. Bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat. Allow to sit 10 minutes.
3. Bring back to warm over low heat and stir in 2-4 Tbsp gochujang mixed with a touch of water. Add more gochujang to taste.
4. Warm tortillas in microwave or over flame.
5. Fill each tortilla with TVP/mushroom mixture. Top with kimchee!

Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Bake

I'm looking forward to catching up on a ton of posts I've got piled up in queue once my first half-ironman distance triathlon is over next Sunday. There's been a lot of healthy, fun food going on in the Bite Me Kitchen and I'm looking forward to sharing some great recipes. We don't really get seasons on the west coast, but that doesn't stop me from conjuring up Fall in my imagination! I saw a few lonely cans of pumpkin puree on the baking shelf at the store and scooped them up in my excitement to start the holidays early. I presented my find to Adam and begged for a pumpkin spice breakfast cake! 

If you're not familiar with our breakfast cake - it's packed with high value nutrients! Ground buckwheat groats, maca root, chia seed, flax seed, and pumpkin. No refined flours, no refined sugars and no added fats. Since we usually bang out a brutal workout before breakfast, having a filling and nutritious breakfast is our first step towards recovering our bodies and starting the day out right.

Here's a quick run-down on the benefits of some of the ingredients in our breakfast cake:

• Maca Root - Has been harvested and used for it's medicinal properties in the Peruvian Andes for centuries as a natural remedy to increase energy and stamina. Extremely high in minerals and vitamins. Considered to be an adaptogen meaning that it aids the body in adapting to and reducing stress thus boosting immune system function, recovery and performance.
• Pumpkin - High in carotenoids and antioxidants which help prevent heart disease, some kinds of cancer, and aid in the growth of healthy cells.
• Chia Seed: Both chia and flax are high in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, minerals and vitamins. Due to their high fiber content and their unique gel-coating that occurs when saturated, chia seeds keep you full longer! 
• Buckwheat: A gluten-free fruit seed (not a cereal grain!) that has been linked to reduced cholesterol and blood pressure thanks to the presence of flavonoids which protect against disease by acting as antioxidants. Also, thanks to the high fiber content of buckwheat, this breakfast will keep you satisfied for hours.

Serves 4 (We make enough for 2 days of breakfast for 2 people)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 - 15oz can pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4c applesauce
• 1c coconut milk (not the kind in a can, the beverage type OR use any other non-dairy alternative)
• 1 1/4c raw buckwheat groats, ground*
• 1/4c chia seeds, ground*
• 1/8c flax seeds, ground*
• 1/8c maca root powder
• 1/4c xylitol (or other natural sugar or sugar derivative)
• pinch ground cloves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• small handful golden raisins
• small handful pecans

* = we grind our seeds and flours in a coffee/spice grinder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375'.
2. Whisk all wet ingredients in one bowl (pumpkin through milk).
3. Whisk all dry ingredients in another bowl (buckwheat through pecans).
4. Combine the two mixtures and gently stir until combined thoroughly.
5. Spray 8x8 square glass baking dish with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan.
6. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is browned and the cake feels firm to the touch.
7. Allow to cool, slice into quarteras and serve.

Vegan Sausageroni

I know, vegan pepperoni? What!?!? I've always felt of two minds when it comes to psuedo-meat products. Some of the meat (and dairy) substitutes are so processed that you may as well be eating Spam. Worse yet, is sometimes you look at the ingredients of "meat-free" meat and find something like casein (milk-protein). Huh?!

Skip all the confusion. Make your own perfect sausage or pepperoni at home with ingredients you know! This recipe is entirely vegan and completely delicious. I found this recipe here and a whole lot of other variations on the same concept here. It's primarily a magical mixture of mashed beans, spices and vital wheat gluten all wrapped up in foil and steamed until sausagey. I found it a bit too gummy/chewy after just steaming, so we sliced the sausageroni and pan fried it. A little crisping and it was the perfect topping to a vegan pizza pita! I'm hoping my genius gluten-free baking triathlete superstar of a friend Julia can come up with some substitutes for the vital vital wheat gluten in this recipe for all you gf folks out there! 

Vegan sausageroni, daiya cheddar, peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms, pita!

Makes three 6-8" sausages

INGREDIENTS:

*reduce pepper flakes and peppercorns if you don't like spicy food!*

• 1/2 cup of white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup cold water (I used vegetable broth)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp liquid smoke (I used Trader Joe's South African smoke grinder)
• 1 tsp HP sauce, or BBQ sauce
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp whole anise seed
• 1 tsp red peppercorns
• 1 tsp green peppercorns
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 
• 1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add water to a large pot that fits a steamer (or colander) in it. Bring to a boil.
2. Mash the beans with a fork or potato masher. 
3. Add water, oil, liquid smoke, HP or BBQ sauce, paprika, cayenne, salt and sugar and mix well.
4. Roughly grind anise seed, peppercorns, and red pepper flakes with a mortar and pestle (or blitz a few times in spice/coffee grinder)
5. Add into mixture. Add in wheat gluten and mix well with a fork.
6. Divide dough into three equal portions. Shape each into a tube and wrap like a tootsie roll in heavy duty aluminum foil. 
7. Make sure to wrap it tightly by twisting the ends. Heavy duty foil is needed to keep the pepperoni from bursting out of the wrapping when cooking.
8. Steam for 45 mins. Cool and slice what you plan on using. Pan fry before using for best results!