Gyro Spiced Seitan and Quinoa Bowl. #Vegan Recipe

May 27, 2013 · by · 14 Comments

As I get ready to make some bean burgers (recipe for bbq kidney beans and quinoa burgers coming soon), I wanted to share this dish from a few days ago. You may or may not know of my love of shawarma, a Middle Eastern dish usually made with chicken, beef, or lamb, but I am always looking for ways to use the spices found in shawarma and create delicious and interesting vegan food.

The idea for this bowl actually come from one of my favorite dishes at Native Foods, the Greek Gyro Bowl. I think my spices are a little different, and after playing with the recipe a little, I’ve come to like my version better.

 

Gyro Spiced Seitan Bowl

Gyro Spiced Seitan and Quinoa Bowl. #Vegan Recipe
 
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I’ve taken my love of shawarma and put it in a bowl!
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Serves: 2

Ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon Garam Masala (usually used in Indian food, it is a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, coriander & black pepper)
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ cup tahini sauce (Trader Joes didn’t have tahini, so I bought the pre-made sauce. If you’d rather make it yourself, here is a good recipe .
  • ¼ cup hummus
  • 1 lemon
  • 8 ounces seitan, cut into thin slices
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ cup onion
  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced
  • 1 medium yellow squash, sliced
  • Feel free to use your favorite vegetables. I like cauliflower and broccoli in this dish (but my husband doesn’t).
  • ½ cup tahini sauce
  • ½ cup hummus
  • Pita Bread

Instructions
  1. Blend the spices together. If you’re missing one, or if you don’t have the Garam Masala, use as many as you have.
  2. Combine the tahini, hummus, and the juice of ½ of the lemon. Stir in the spice mixture.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the tahini blend with the seitan. Set aside.
  4. Make the quinoa according to package directions.
  5. Preheat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes, or until the onion is starting to get soft.
  6. Add the seitan, allowing the marinade to drip off each piece before you add it to the pan. Brown on both sides. Reduce the heat and add the rest of the marinade. Allow to heat through.
  7. Tahini/hummus sauce: Combine the tahini, hummus and the juice of ½ lemon.
  8. While the seitan is cooking, steam the vegetables until they are crisp-tender.
  9. Assemble the bowl: Quinoa, veggies, seitan. Pour the rest of the hot marinade over the bowl. Serve with hot pitas and the tahini/hummus sauce.

Gyro Spiced Seitan Bowl
Gyro Spiced Seitan Bowl
I hope that you had a great weekend. I want to take a moment to remember that Memorial Day is not about barbecues and extra days off, but a day to honor the men and women who have given their lives to keep our country safe.

 

Did you do anything special for the long weekend?
Filed Under: La Quinta, vegan, Vegan Recipe · Tagged: , , , , ,

Vegan Chipotle Seitan, Sweet Potatoes & Hot Bean and Corn Salsa

April 29, 2013 · by · 9 Comments

As promised in my last post, here is my vegan Chipotle Seitan Recipe. For those of you still waiting for my La Jolla Half Marathon recap, don’t worry, it is coming. just give me another day.

Every Wednesday, I work a little later than normal. I go in late, which gives me a chance for a run in the morning, but also means that getting dinner on the table is a challenge. Alan and I long ago decided that our taste buds and stomachs were much better served if I did the cooking and he did the cleanup, so that isn’t an option. I’ll occasionally stop and pick up some Thai food or pizza on the way home, but that gets old after a while (one doesn’t find an abundance of vegan takeout options in my desert).

I have found a better option is to plan for Wednesday to be leftover night, or occasionally I will make a meal that is quick and easy to prepare. I am usually a pretty slow cook, so that is quite an accomplishment for me. This dish, Spicy Chipotle Seitan with Sweet Potatoes came to me as I was driving home one Wednesday. I had purchased some Sweet Earth Chipotle Seitan that day and I was anxious to try it out. It seemed a little unusual to use sweet potatoes with a spicy dish, but it ended up, as my friend Laura would say, strange but good.

Chipotle Seitan

Spicy Chipotle Seitan with Sweet Potatoes. Hot Black Bean & Corn Salsa.Vegan.
 
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I prepared this spicy dish in about half an hour using prepared seitan, canned beans, and frozen corn and it was delicious. It is perfect when you want to whip up something yummy after a long day at work.
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients
  • 8 oz. Chipotle Seitan, cut in strips (I used Chipotle seasoned seitan, but you can create your own by allowing your seitan to marinate in any chipotle sauce for about 15 minutes.)
  • ½ cup chopped Onion
  • 2 cloves minced Garlic
  • 1 Serrano Chili, chopped and divided
  • 1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • ½ cup corn
  • ½ salsa
  • 1 medium zucchini, chopped
  • tortillas
  • avocado

Instructions
  1. In a small pan, heat up the beans, corn, zucchini, and salsa. Add ½ of the serrano chile. Allow to simmer while you prepare the seitan.
  2. Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan. Cook the onion, ½ half of the serrano chile, and garlic over medium heat until the onion is soft.
  3. Add the sweet potato and cook until slightly browned.
  4. Add the seitan and cook until slightly browned.
  5. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potato is cooked, about 10 minutes. Add a little water if the sauce is too thick.
  6. Serve with fresh avocado and warm tortillas.

 

Chipotle Seitan 4

Do you like spicy food? I grew up in California, so it’s in my genes I think. Have you tried seitan before?

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Roasted Seitan and Vegetables with Quinoa. #Vegan Recipe

January 9, 2013 · by · 11 Comments

vegan recipe

I finally went for my second run of the new year this morning. When I first woke up, I didn’t think that I was ready yet. I still felt congested, my throat was a little sore, and I still felt kind of crummy. But, one look at Penny convinced me to at least try. She loves to run so much and I have felt like I’ve been disappointing her all week long.  My dogs inspire me on those days I have a hard time getting going (so much so that I wrote a post about “Running Like a Dog“).

After 10 days of being sick it felt great to get out. Alan (who has also been sick) and I took four of our dogs for a two mile run.  I felt so good after that I took Penny out for another two. I was pretty surprised but happy to feel just fine, no breathing problems or anything (except a lot of snot rockets ;-) ).

vegan recipe

On that note, let’s discuss this recipe. This is one my versions (maybe the best) of the Greek Gyro Bowl from Native Foods. I decided to roast the seitan and vegetables for a variation and it was delicious (and really fast!). The sauce is simply hummus thinned with lemon juice to a creamy texture. If you want to make your own hummus, here is a recipe.

Recipe: Roasted Seitan and Vegetables with Quinoa. #Vegan
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Serves: 2

Ingredients
  • 1 package seitan, cubed
  • 1 zucchini, sliced
  • 1 cup cauliflower, broken into medium flowerlets
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 lemons
  • Cooking spray
  • 4 ounces hummus, thinned to a creamy consistency with lemon juice
  • 1 cup quinoa, prepared according to package directions
  • ½ cup cucumber, chopped
  • ¼ cup onion, chopped
  • ½ cup tomato, chopped
  • Pita Bread
  • Hummus

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425
  2. Thin the hummus with lemon juice until it is creamy, but thin enough to pour. Bring the hummus to room temperature (30 seconds in the microwave is one way).
  3. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking oil.
  4. Combine garam masala, paprika, and salt.
  5. In a bowl, combine the seitan and vegetables. Squeeze the juice of one lemon on the mixture, then sprinkle the spices on top. Stir to mix evenly.
  6. Spread in one layer on the cookie sheet.
  7. Roast for 15 minutes, turning once about half way through.
  8. In two individual serving bowls, scoop ½ cup of quinoa, half of the roasted seitan and vegetables. Drizzle half of the hummus mixture on each.
  9. Top with chopped onions, cucumbers and tomatoes.
  10. Serve with pita bread and additional hummus.

 vegan recipe

Believe it or not, my husband, who hates cooked cauliflower, cleaned his bowl.  I’d say this recipe is a winner!

I am also excited about finally getting back out on the road. Now I can take the time and map out my training plan and finally get a start on my 2013 fitness goals.

What is your favorite restaurant dish that you’ve tried to re-create at home? Any success?

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