Vegan Chops of Seitan

Hell hath no fury like a piece of baked Seitan covered in marinade. It's the fourth time that I made Seitan; however, it's the first time that I made it without boiling and I absolutely loved it! Boiling is great if you want to create a lunch "meat" for a sandwich, but for a steak consistency (flavour & aesthetics) definitely go for the baking option. For this Seitan I wanted to achieve the flavour of a popular dish at Easter, which is lamb 😞, so I created this Seitan with all the common flavours that are used to make that dish. Instructions and directions found below. 

Bowl 1: 

• 1 cup wheat gluten 
• 1/4 cup garbanzo flour
• 1/4 cup nooch 
• 1.5 tsp of ground rosemary
• 1 tsp of garlic powder 
• 1 tsp of onion powder 
• 1 tsp of ground thyme  

Bowl 2: 

• 1/4 cup balsamic reduction **thick vinegar**
• 2 TBSP of teriyaki sauce  
• 1/4 cup veggie broth 
• 3/4 cup hot water

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup balsamic 
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1 glove of minced garlic 
• 1/2 tsp ground rosemary 
• Pinch of salt & pepper 

With a spatula or fork mix the contents of bowl 2 in bowl 1. Then start to lightly knead it all together. If the mixture is sticky add an additional teaspoon or two of wheat gluten and start to knead everything all in once again. If it's not too sticky, don't bother with the additional wheat gluten. Once kneading is done (about 3 minutes) form a thick log and cut into approximately 6 pieces. Pat each piece down and put into a large baking dish. Each piece should be no thinner or thicker than 1/3 - 1/2 an inch. I used a rectangular glass dish that I covered with aluminum foil; however, if you have one that has a lid, that is acceptable as well. Brush each piece (front & back) with marinade, cover with tin foil and let sit for 1 - 2 hours in the fridge. 

Once marinating is done fully cover the Seitan with veggie broth and bake for 60 minutes at 350 F with lid or cover the top of the dish in aluminum foil. Once cooking time has expired take it out of the oven and flip each piece to bake for an additional 30 minutes uncovered (no lid or aluminum foil) and without adding more veggie broth. 

Once completely done, brush both sides with more marinade and BBQ each side for approximately 30 - 45 seconds per side to achieve grilling marks. This step is completely optional by the way.  It will taste yummy whether you BBQ it or not. 

FYI - to store put in a lidded tupperware container with a piece of parchment paper between each layer. 

Enjoy!!