Test Kitchen Tuesday

I have mentioned before that I really enjoy link round-ups. If I follow a blog and the person writing the blog links to other blogs/articles of interest, I know that more than likely I’ll like the linked blog or article. Last week, thanks to the Cheap Healthy Good link round up, I stumbled on a list of top vegan cooking blogs. While we’re not vegan around these parts, I sometimes think vegan recipes are some of the most interesting out there!

Which brings us to this week’s Test Kitchen Tuesday. I discovered this recipe over on Vegan Yum Yum. I pre-planned a little to have Seitan on hand, and was able to put some broccolini and Clementines from my produce box to immediate work. We get our CSA box delivery on Tuesdays – perfect!

I have learned to not give 2Chili too much backstory on what he’s eating so as not to predispose his opinion. If I’d told him ahead of time his dinner was going to be Seitan, I’m pretty sure his nose would have gone so high in the air I’d be able to see the insides of his brain. Alas, I didn’t tell him, served up his dinner and he had it mostly gone before I finished taking pictures. That is a good sign. Then, when I told him what he had eaten, he laughed saying, well, at least I didn’t eat the horns, thinking I said I served him "Satan.”

One tip before we get to the review. This recipe called for sushi rice, and I was able to make the whole recipe start-to-finish in about 20 minutes because I always have frozen white rice on hand for 2Chili. (I usually have bulgur or brown rice for myself). I just make up a big batch every so often, freeze it in one/two portion servings in Ziplock baggies, and microwave for 3 minutes when it’s needed. Rice freezes well, so this simple tip can speed up many a weeknight dinner.

As far as the required Clementine juice for the sauce, I blended up a couple of the “cuties” in my blender much like my little juicing project, but without added water, and drained through a sieve. It took only 2 Clementines to get 1/3 cup juice. I am a little impatient, so I added just a tad of cornstarch dissolved in water to the sauce to help it thicken up a bit quicker. I didn’t have tamari, so I omitted that ingredient, and it didn’t seem to matter.

The overall result was easy, fast, and delicious.

Seitan with Broccolini and Clementine Teriyaki

Original Recipe: Vegan Yum Yum

Serves: 2

Time Required:

• 20 minutes, start to finish

Skill Level (out of 5):

2Chili’s Taster Rating (out of 5):

2Chili really likes teriyaki, so I thought this would go over well with him. His only request is to steam the broccolini next time instead of searing in the pan.

The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5):

I thought this was fantastic, and anything I can make in under half an hour after a busy day at work is a keeper!

The Verdict: We’ll have this again, for sure. The sauce really was the thing that sets it apart – it was a nice twist on traditional teriyaki. Thanks Lolo!

Nutrition:

With about 1/4 of the sauce per serving using seasoned rice vinegar, which has more sodium than normal rice vinegar (I had half the sauce left over) and 1/2 cup of cooked rice.

Calories: 454
Total Fat:10.4 g
Sodium: 798 mg
Carbohydrates: 61.3 g
Fiber: 6.8 g
Sugars: 31.2 g
Protein: 31.4 g

Seitan