Seitan Satay with Peanut Sauce

I don't know how I got it into my head that I wanted Seitan Satay this week, but there it was, and I could not ignore it. I read through a few of my cookbooks, and looked around on the web a while before I settled on a recipe. I used Robin Robertson's recipe from The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook. I used baked seitan with no extra fancy flavorings in it so the marinade and peanut sauce would be the stars. Served alongside it are Mango Summer Rolls from Vegan with a Vengeance and Sesame String Beans. The seitan had a meaty bite to it and was nice and chewy, and the summer rolls went great with the peanut sauce. It was a delicious meal with a bunch of interesting components.


Seitan Satay
1 shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp canola oil
2 tsp peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
12 oz seitan, cut into 1/4" strips

1. Heat the canola oil in a small skillet over low heat, and add the shallow and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn.

2. Put the shallot mixture, ginger, tamari, lime juice, sesame oil, and brown sugar into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add a little water if it's too thick.

3. Pour the marinade into a shallow dish and coat each piece of seitan. Allow to marinate for at least an hour. (I put mine in the fridge for the day while I was in classes)

4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Soak enough wooden skewers for each slice of seitan in water for about 30 minutes. Thread the seitan onto the skewers and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet.

5. Bake the seitan for 10 minutes, turning halfway through, until lightly browned. Serve with peanut sauce.

Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup natural peanut butter (soften it in the microwave to make it easier to mix)
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp tamari
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1. Mix all the ingredients together. Add more water if it's too thick. (I like putting it all in a jar and shaking until it's smooth)

Sesame Green Beans
8 oz green beans, ends snapped off
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame seeds

1. Heat the oil and garlic in a large sautee pan until the garlic begins to soften. Add the green beans, tamari, and vinegar and toss to coat.

2. Cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until green beans are tender-crisp. Toss with sesame seeds and serve.