Easy Sweet & Sour Seitan

It's been a long time since I've cooked Asian food at home. I don't keep the proper ingredients on hand, and it's faster and easier to find good delivery options. It's really not so hard to make at home, however, and probably a bit healthier. Making it vegetarian, without trying to cook tofu perfectly, is even easier now than ever, thanks to all the fake meat and flavored seitan that is now readily available to consumers. This easy sweet and sour dish came out great. I kept the crispy seitan aside to serve over the vegetables so that they stay crunchy until the last minute - a definite improvement over soggy takeout!

Sweet and Sour Vegetables with Crunchy Seitan

Vegetables:

1 C Broccoli, cut into florets
1 C Carrots, sliced or use baby carrots
1 T canola oil
1/2 C Onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 C Cremini (Baby Bello) Mushrooms, sliced
1 Medium Tomato, diced
1 C Pineapple chunks, canned

Sauce:

3/4 C pineapple juice
1/3 C Rice Vinegar (plain, not flavored)
1/4 C Ketchup
1 T Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 T Dark Brown Sugar
1 T Cornstarch

Crunchy Seitan: 

1/4 C Canola oil

1 package Traditional Flavor Seitan

1 Egg white, slightly beaten (or use egg replacer or milk)

1/4 C Cornstarch 

Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper flakes

Garnish:

sesame seeds
raw cashews
 

Brown rice, cooked

1. Prepare rice following package directions.

2. Boil water and add broccoli and carrots to pre-cook. Boil for about 10 minutes or until desired tenderness. 

3. Heat 1/4C oil in a pan over medium heat. 

4. Break or separate Seitan into chunks and place in egg whites. In a separate bowl or ziploc bag, mix cornstarch with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Remove seitan from egg and place in cornstarch, tossing to coat.

5. Fry the seitan chunks on each side until brown on all sides, and remove from pan and rest on paper towels. 

6. Wipe excess oil from the pan, or use a clean deep skillet to heat 1 T oil. Over medium heat, saute onion for 3 minutes and add garlic. Cook garlic 2 minutes and add mushrooms, stirring frequently.

7. When mushrooms are cooked through, add tomatoes and cooked broccoli and carrots. 

8. Add pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and brown sugar to the pan, and sprinkle with cornstarch. Stir together to coat the vegetables and season with salt if needed. Cook another 5 minutes or until sauce thickens and bubbles.

9. Serve vegetables topped with seitan, and spoon the sauce over the top. Sprinkle sesame seeds and cashews over the top. Eat together with rice.