Views on SEITAN

[MarsAttacks]

Hello. I've been on the lookout for any vegan food that is very high in protein with moderate carbs/fat. The obvious are soy (i mostly use TVP), Tempeh and protein powders (i use vega). I can rarely find seitan in my area and if I do, it's super expensive. I've found some good recipes online and it doesn't seem like it's too hard to make.

 

Anyways.. my question is, is seitan bad for you? There seems to be so much anti-gluten information out there (including Branden Brazier). I don't have celiac disease, so is there any reason to avoid it?

 

Just looking for some opinions on it. Thanks

 

p.s.

If any of you know of other really good high protein - low carb/fat vegan foods (other then soy, tempeh, seitan and powders!) I'm all ears.

 

cheers

[chrisjs]

I'm actually making some seitan pepperoni in the oven right now.

 

I don't know of anything bad about seitan other than its status as an allergen. It's a nice dense source of protein, though the amino acid balance isn't that great. If I eat a lot it's a bit rough on my digestive system.

 

Regarding other high protein stuff: lentils and other beans!

[Pegesus]

I view everything with the mantra of "moderation"

 

If you incorporate seitan into your diet along with everything else and you have no allergen to gluten then your gonna be fine. Don't make it your go to food of choice 3 times a day but eating seitan along with, soy, tempeh, and beans and your balance out a well rounded diet.

 

Oh and seitan is super easy to make and is way cheaper than buying prepackaged product in the stores. I make it regularly and I went out and bought a Kitchen Aid Mini Commerical Slicer at Lowe's and make thin Deli Slices. Its like an eighth the price of buying Tofurky.

[lobsteriffic]

If you incorporate seitan into your diet along with everything else and you have no allergen to gluten then your gonna be fine. Don't make it your go to food of choice 3 times a day but eating seitan along with, soy, tempeh, and beans and your balance out a well rounded diet.

 

This. I don't see a problem with eating it a few times a week if the gluten isn't bothering you.

 

Seitan is waaaay cheaper to make than to buy. Boiled seitan can be a little tricky to get the texture just right, so it might take you a few tries. Also, you can steam it to make sausages, they are pretty yummy:

 

http://www.everydaydish.tv/index.php?page=recipe&recipe=109

 

You can also bake it in a log, it's really, really good too:

 

http://textualbulldog.blogspot.com/2007/10/seitan-sausage-crumbles.html

[Adena]

My view on seitan is that it's delicious! And really easy to make. It takes time to make it, but I usually make a batch of it on the weekend and then have it a few times during the week, along with a lot of chickpea and lentil dishes, tofu scrambles, etc. I also make my own hummus. Both of those things are a lot cheaper to make than to buy prepackaged.

[seitan_man]

I mainly buy seitan 'mock duck' in cans, as wheat gluten powder is extremely hard to track down in the UK. I did recently obtain 2 big bags of it from an online company but have yet to make any seitan from scratch.

 

As far as I am aware it is high in protein, but poor quality protein in terms of PDCAAS. Having said that, it shouldn't present a problem if combines with other foods that balance the amino acids. Seitan and quinoa is apparently a great combination, better still if combined with soy or other beans.

[johnnyfive]

seitan is great. It's so simple to make.. and it's high in protein

 

I usually make faux chicken, then slice it into chicken-strips and throw it on a salad

 

.. you have to make sure you use 'VITAL wheat gluten' when you make it, otherwise it won't turn out

 

there's a bunch of seitan recipes found in the lovely Sarah Kramer's cookbook

 

http://www.nexternal.com/vegane/images/LaDolceVeganFinalLg.jpg

[seitan_man]

Maybe we should compile a list of tried and tested seitan recipes?

 

Anyone have a good recipe for seitan 'roast beef'?

[Eksster]

It's not only great to have around as food, but when you need to glue something together... it's awesome!

[Hapexamendios]

If you incorporate seitan into your diet along with everything else and you have no allergen to gluten then your gonna be fine. Don't make it your go to food of choice 3 times a day but eating seitan along with, soy, tempeh, and beans and your balance out a well rounded diet.

 

This. I don't see a problem with eating it a few times a week if the gluten isn't bothering you.

 

Seitan is waaaay cheaper to make than to buy. Boiled seitan can be a little tricky to get the texture just right, so it might take you a few tries. Also, you can steam it to make sausages, they are pretty yummy:

 

http://www.everydaydish.tv/index.php?page=recipe&recipe=109

 

You can also bake it in a log, it's really, really good too:

 

http://textualbulldog.blogspot.com/2007/10/seitan-sausage-crumbles.html

 

Awesome links, thanks!