Savory Black Olive Seitan

Back in May, when Steven and I visited New York City, we dined at a restaurant called Sacred Chow. This place was so good! I don't see too many people blog about it, but I certainly think anyone visiting or living in the nyc area should give it a chance! When we ate there, we had this awesome sandwich that had black olive seitan on it...something I had never had before! It was so delicious, and it has taken me until now to remember to try and recreate it! So, here is my attempt. It actually came out really well! Very salty and savory,and really easy to make. Again, it uses the steam-in-foil method, but instead of making individual sausage-like links, you make it in one large "roast" shape, and then you can slice or cut it up as you like afterward. I think anyone who who likes olives will love this seitan!Savory Black Olive Seitan,

served with leftover tester corn casserole and sauteed green beans!

Savory Black Olive Seitan (serves 4)

1 cup plus 2 Tbs vital wheat gluten
1 Tbs soy or chickpea flour

1 Tbs nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 Tbs paprika

1 tsp sage

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small can black olives, chopped

1 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs soy sauce or tamari

1 cup cold water

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Stir in the minced garlic and chopped black olives. Add in the wet ingredients and mix well. Set a pot of water on the stove to boil. Cut a large piece of aluminum foil, large enough to encompass the dough completely. Place the seitan dough in the middle of the foil sheet, then roll over the dough and twist the ends of the foil to close. Place in a steamer basket set over the boiling water and steam for 1 hour. Remove from the steamer and bake in a 350 F oven for 15 minutes to get a chewy outside. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving! Yum!

For dessert, I picked up a Sweet and Sara's S'more (original flavor) for Steven. I still cannot believe they carry those at our Hy-Vee! How lucky are we?! I personally like the peanut butter flavor WAY better...but I'm a peanut butter gal...and Steven likes the plain jane. They are both great, though, so I guess we all win! :)

The package.

The eating.

On another note, I hope it is snowy and wintery where you are! I love it! I mean, look how darn cute even a little ice-scraping can be! (ain't he cute?!)

Chicago Trip Day 2

Day #25 of Vegan MoFo was again spent in the Windy City of Chicago!! I am really loving it here, especially all the great food! The only thing I don't like is getting lost all the time trying to get to the restaurants....but I am getting there eventually! :)

Lunch had to be pretty quick because I was on a break from my American Dietetics Association conference, so I headed to Whole Foods on the South Loop...probably the best Whole Foods I have ever seen! I got one of their pre-made meals, the Tofu Noodle Bowl: udon noodles, cabbage, carrots, red peppers, cilantro, sesame seeds, baked tofu, and a Thai peanut sauce. It was really good for such a quick meal! Really flavorful and filling and healthy and tasty! I didn't take a picture of dessert, but I will just tell you: I had a Sweet and Sara's Peanut Butter S'more!!! If you haven't had one of these, you should get one, now! They are the best packaged dessert I have ever eaten (and the PB variety is waaaay better than the original! duh.) After a long day at the conference, learning about food, it was time to put it into practice and eat some food! We had dinner at the highly-acclaimed Lake Side Cafe, which has won the award for Chicago's "best vegetarian restaurant" three times! Needless to say, I had high expectations...and I am happy to say that they were met!

Our appetizer: Black-Eyed Pea Croquettes with Red Pepper Sauce. Surprisingly light and tender and really tasty!

My mom's dinner: The Vegan Chicago Dog, with all the fixings! And a Side Salad with Papaya Poppyseed Dressing...although I'm not sure that was a fitting side for a Chicago Dog!! My dinner: Jalapeno-Corn Scone with Smoky Black Beans, Tomato Relish and Toasted Pepitas. This has a wonderful flavor, and the scone was so "buttery" and dense and moist...I have never had a meal centered around a savory scone, but I think I will try to re-create this at home!! Anything with pepitas is a.o.k. in my book!!

And there was dessert, of course! The waiter recommended the Chocolate Cake VERY highly, so I had no choice :) It had a light and fluffy chocolate creme frosting and chocolate "oreo" crumbles on top. YUUUUM! I am glad I listened to the waiter!

I will be back tomorrow with more goodies from Chi-Town....but remember Barack Obama and Joe Biden until I return!! seriously.