Tofu VS Tempeh VS Seitan

Here is a short video explaining the differences between our basic meat replacements:

Dont like protein replacements?

Techie turned chef, and my favorite herbivore, Michael Natkin has amazing recipes and more on his website http://herbivoracious.com/

Pre-made meat replacments for beginners

When you think of protein you think of meat.  Chicken, beef, sausage...for an experienced vegetarian chef these items may be easy to make from the items we discuss below.  But what if you dont have any formal training?  A great place to start would be to find your favorite brand of protein replacements.  I started with Morningstar Farms items.  Chick'n patties, meatless crumbles and even pre-made meals with meat replacements in them can be bought from your grocers freezer and made at home.  Their website also has recipes on how to use their products the best ways possible.
Have another favorite brand?  Share it with us!

The basics of Tempeh

Many people are afraid of Tempeh because, like many protein replacements, it looks strange.  Do not be afraid!  For those of you who don't know what tempeh is but are familiar with tofu, consider tempeh a rougher version of tofu.  Tempeh is made from rough chopped soy beans (and sometimes other grains) that are fermented and formed into a high protein bar.  It can be found in most grocery stores or made at home (be warned, the fermenting process can be rather stinky which is why I HIGHLY recommend buying pre-made).

Use tempeh like any other meat substitute.

How to make Seitan at home

A lot of people think making seitan is hard work, but it only takes a few minutes of physical labor and half hour of cooking time to create.  With just a few ingredients from the grocery store (listed below) you can make fresh seitan in a snap.  View this slide show to see what you can expect. 

If your already an expert in making seitan here is a great recipe you can use (it is the same one used in the slideshow above):

- 1 cup vital wheat gluten flour

- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

- 1/2 cup cold vegetable broth

- 1/4 cup soy sauce

- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced fine or use garlic powder)

For the simmering broth:

- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce

Veggie Dogs!

Want a healthy substitute for a 4^th of July celebration?  Like veggie dogs but can’t stand all of the sodium?  Here is my easy to make (and freeze) recipe for vegetarian hotdogs made from vital wheat gluten and tofu:

Yields 20 1.5oz veggiedogs

3              t              paprika

2              t              granulated garlic

2              t              salt

2              t              black pepper

1              t              coriander

2              t              cumin

1              t              mace

1              t              cardamom

2              t              cornstarch

4              T              cooking oil (I prefer peanut, but any kind will do)

½             cup         diced onion

14           oz          tofu, drained

2              T              Sugar

4              T              soy sauce

1 ¾         cup         vital wheat gluten

Blend seasoning and cornstarch until well combined.  Place in a sauté pan and toast, being careful not to burn.  Once fragrant, put into a medium sized bowl until needed.

In the same sauté pan, heat oil until smoking.  Shallow fry onion until just browned.  Remove from heat.  Place in the refrigerator until cool to the touch.

In the food processor add onion and oil mixture, drained tofu, toasted seasoning, sugar and soy sauce.  Puree until smooth.  Move puree to your medium sized bowl.  Spread puree on the sides until thin.  Add wheat gluten to bowl.  Knead mixture until it becomes shiny and tough, about 6-7 minutes.

Move mix onto table top and cut into 1.5 oz pieces (you can make them larger or smaller depending on what size “dog” you would like).  Stretch each piece to hot dog size, about 5 inches, and place on a small piece of plastic wrap.  Roll plastic wrap tightly around veggiedog.  Twist ends of plastic wrap to seal the tube.

Place veggiedogs in steamer pan insert for a large pot, place in pot and cover with a lid and steam for 20-25 minutes or until firm. (don’t have a steamer insert for your pot?  Bring water to a simmer or when small bubbles slowly float to the top and cook for 15 minutes in water.)

To serve, cut end off of plastic wrap and squeeze from tube.  You can eat them boiled, grill them, or freeze them for future use.

Seitan

Those of us familiar with seitan (pronounced "say-tan") like to call it wheat meat.  It is high in protein and contains no fat, but watch out carb haters, seitan is made from wheat gluten and is likely to kill your Atkins diet!! If you cannot find seitan you can easily make it at home.  In fact, if you buy vital wheat gluten in a market I can almost guarantee you will find a recipe on the back of the box.  Like tofu, seitan can be seasoned to suit any palate but is easily disguised as meat.  I love to make seitan tacos for my friends and watch their surprise when I tell them they aren’t eating real meat.