tofu is cool but...

i think that seitan is better.

it tastes better and is still really high in protein. the texture is amazing with it too. maybe i just don't know how to cook tofu?

either way, every experience i've had making it, eating it, whatever with seitan has been 100% successful. anyone feel the same way?

Totally. Seitan is the champion of the mock meats in my opinion. I also just picked up some TVP (texturized vegetable protein) at Whole Foods - it's an extremely cheap source of protein. I'll post a recipe I got from Moby's Teany book for mock chicken (TVP) salad; it's damn good. You guys might like it.

I love Seitan too, but I cannot cook it if my life depended on it, Please share your recipe.

Also, I have eaten seitenm when I have gone out to vegan restuarants, but everytime I have tried it , it has a little bit of a raison bready kind of taste. Is this with all seitan or maybe just the way the restaurants cook it here?

I think that seitan is much easier to master and much harder to mess up. Tofu can go very wrong and I think the reason a lot of people think they don't like tofu is because they've had some awful first experiences. My favorite way to make tofu is to cut into cubes, marinate it, and bake it in the oven at around 375 until it gets golden and crispy around the edges (usually about 20-25 minutes).

Natalie, I too have had some nasty seitain at restaurants, but I have found it quite easy to make at home. The only brand on seitan I have been able to find in stores around here is White Wave. It does the job. According to a few friends, it's easy to make at home, but I have never ventured into that.

One of the things I enjoy most is cooking. I get a kick out of making vegan food that tastes way better than 'normal' food. There are two seitan recipes that are easy and that I love.

One is breaded seitain. First pull the seitan into nugget-like chunks. Haha, that doesn't sound too appealing. Then dip those into a mixture that will allow breadbrumbs to bond to the seitan. I like mixing mustard or dressing with a little bit of water. It doesn't really matter what you use because most times you won't be able to taste it. Then, after dipping the seitan into the mixture, cover in breadcrumbs (of the vegan variety, of course), and saute in a frying pan. I usually use vegetable oil, but you don't have too much ... it's a personal preference. I have actually fried them before too. Not bad. Anyway, cook them until they're brownish ... and you've got delicious seitain nuggets.

Another recipe that I love is seitan chicken salad, invented last year in the quest for 'chicken salad.' I can't give exact measurements, but it goes something like this. Two packages of seitan, shredded into pretty tiny bits, couple of handfuls of raisins, couple of stalks of celery chopped fine, sunflower seeds, and veganaise (how much you use again depends on personal preference when it comes to creamy things ... the dijon kind gives it a nice flavor). Salt and pepper to tase. First saute the seitan until it's golden brown. Then mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and refrigerate before serving. Yum yum.

I hope this helps you out a bit. And you have probably heard of this site, but I will link to it just for kicks because I find it to be wonderful. www.vegweb.com

You'll find recipes galore there, if you haven't already looked.

Happy cooking!

Sorry if I called you the wrong name, CG. I got my boards mixed up. My bad.

Wow , Corey, thanks!!!

I have definitely missed chicken salad (but too bad for my tastebuds because the suffering of nine BILLION chickens a year is more important than what my tastebuds miss!!!) So, I would LOVE to try that seitan chicken salad recipe. I'm gonna make it this Friday. I'll tell you how it goes.

My mouth is watering just thiking about it!!!

Thanks again for taking the time to write all that out. You rock.

You got my name right

COmpassionategirl or cgirl or cg or nat or natalie.

any of the above work

Do you make your own seitan from scratch or do you get it already made at the store? Cause I can't seem to master it. I actually just made a batch on thursday nite and it turned out weird. There must be some seitan secrets that I am not aware of. I really like primal strips seitan jerky, but nothing I have made compares.

i only get the white wave stuff. but i am going to try to make it pretty soon, as in by the end of the week.

i'll tell ya how it goes!

Is Seitan a COMPLETE protein? I need accurate info on this question cuz my research has yielded differing answers.

Also, Brendan, is the texturized vegetable protein you use a complete protein?

thnx, nat

okay I couldnt fnd any answer to my question on the net. Can somebody PLEASE tell me if seitan is a complete protein like is soy?

hey nat i cant remember my source, but I am pretty sure that seitan is not a complete protein like soy. If i find it I will post you the link.

I dont think it is

wheat is the lowest rated protein in the PDCAA scale

hope rob can put in his knowledge here...

You know, I'm not sure either. But I don't think it is. But I don't think complete protein sources from one food source is very important. Most meal foods are missing one or two amino acids and all you have to do is eat some other food that has that one or two missing link. It is probably the easiest thing in the world to do.

Just eat a variety of foods and there is absolutely nothing to worry about regarding protein and complete proteins. I can't think of anything easier than protein to get in a normal diet, maybe Vitamin C is easier but I'd say protein is about as easy as it gets. I can't name one person with a protein dificiency, but can probably name a few hundred people I know personally who consume an excess of protein, specifically animal protein.

200-0 ratio is pretty good of the people that I know. Worldwide of people who can afford to eat a balanced diet is probably 1,000,000 - 1 of those who eat too much animal protein compared to those with a protein dificiency.

So I don't worry about complete protein sources from a single food source and obviously I haven't had problems gaining muscle or weight...and remember I only weighed 105 pounds entering high school, I was never designed to be very muscular but I never cared what I was supposed to look like, I created something I had envisioned....by eating....and not worrying about complete protein.....just eating and staying focused.

Yeah, like Robert said - and as you might already know - you don't really need to worry about complete proteins or combining proteins in one meal. If you're eating a varied enough diet, you should be getting all those in one day. I'm not exactly sure if TVP is a complete protein but I found this on some site (heh), which leads me to believe it most likely is (and often a good source of B12!): "TVP can be fortified to have all the essential nutrients that animal protein contains." It's really cheap, too. Go check out the recipes section - I'm posting one for mock chicken salad.

thanks guys