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Sunday, July 29, 2012

Get Thee Behind Me Seiten

 Anyone who is a vegan or vegetarian has been acquainted at some point with seiten. Also know as Soy Chicken, Wheat loaf, etc.. I bought some last month and is it good? It's super good. Is is it expensive? $3.99 for 6 ounces - up there with T-bone. And given the main ingredient is vital wheat gluten (looks like flour) that's a little insulting. So I decided to make it myself - I looked through the online recipes and found one that sounded workable. It was workable but super Blah. And it came out rubbery too - I reviewed the recipe and I didn't see where I'd skipped anything but it certainly didn't  come anywhere close to the store bought version. I had  all the correct ingredients, simmered it for the correct time, kneaded, etc. So today was Attempt Number Two. Instead of picking out another recipe I You Tubed it - and stumbled across my new favorite Vegan Zombie. I watched him make No killy Philly cheese steak once, then brought the laptop down to the kitchen. The next ten minutes was stop and start as I collected ingredients, pots, boiled and chopped. And it was way different then my first attempt -he adds a laundry list of spices and sauces, he kneads it for 15 minutes and lets it rest for another 20 and he doesn't simmer it at all - instead a hot broth is poured over (after simmering that with onions and bay leaves, etc it's covered in a casserole and goes in the oven  for two hours, not 40 minutes) And it came out GREAT. Hell, it came out Super Great! I didn't finish it up as cheese steaks, instead it was barbecued with pineapples and zucchini (that I grew myself! Yes I did. Did too. Shut up). I know it sounds like a lot of work but you can make enough for two or three meals and it's freezable. Anyhow, as you can see from the pictures it was a lovely day, we mowed the lawn and strutted amongst my crops - I am getting THREE more zucchini - quail at my feet mere mortals! Pearl and Reuben were busy Patrolling The Premises just hoping some errant ground hog would cross their path giving them a chance to show off their Chasing Things Around Skills. We are suspecting a skunk has moved in under the little deck outside or was vacationing there we hope. Pearl is starting on her new medication on Monday as it hadn't arrived on Friday. She's OK as I've said, she no longer wears a collar as we think it bothers her, she spends her days running naked and it does look a bit odd. I spent most of the weekend reading and knitting, not much. My back is out, during the thunderstorms the other day  I didn't realize Pearl followed me down to the basement and I tripped over her, totally throwing my back out. Yay me. I'm OK but there was no walk this weekend and activities were a low roar. Nothing a little Tylenol, heating pad and ice can't cure. So all and all, not a bad weekend. Back to work on Monday to bide my time until I win the lottery.


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