Seitan & Peppers And Some Sweetness On The Side

Learning how to navigate a whole new culinary world will result in a lot of firsts. First tofu scramble, first bite of tempeh, first flat-hockey puck of a cake because I am still learning the perfect egg-replacer and rising ingredients...

One thing that was put off for a bit was: Seitan.  This little devil is a meat substitute made of wheat gluten and is an alternative to soy-based "meats". I know it is a preferred choice for many vegans, but every time I passed in the aisle I just didn't see the allure. That is until one day, I found this:

GROUND SEITAN

I figured if I stomached all those horrible ground meats all these years, I can definitely do this. So what to do with it? 

When in doubt...

                                 ...put it in a sandwich!

Seitan & Peppers Sandwich with Daiya Mozzarella

I spiced the seitan with a little garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and oregano and heated it. Grabbed a perfect Italian roll,  put on the seitan, and topped it with caramelized onions, sauteed red bell pepper, pepperoncini, and Daiya Mozzarella. A little ketchup on the side, just in case. And this was a happy sandwich!

I am no longer a seitan virgin. 

Now, we should always have room for a little sweetness in our lives. This cake isn't too sweet but the orange glaze gave it such a nice citrus-y smile. This will make a nice finish to that Thanksgiving dinner coming up!

Almond Cake With Orange Glaze

Ingredients:

21/2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup Almond Meal, (ground almonds)

1 cup Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Almond Extract

1 cup Almond Milk

1/3 cup Canola Oil

1/3 cup Unsweetened Applesauce

2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 cup Water

For Glaze:

2 cups Sifted Confectioner's Sugar

2 tsp Orange Extract

3 drops red food coloring 

2 drops yellow food coloring

Almond Milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, F. Grease a bundt pan. (Could use a 9x13 pan also) Combine flours, almond meal, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk together until combined.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together all of the other ingredients until well combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until well combined. 

3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. 

4. To make glaze put confectioner's sugar, food coloring, and extract in the bowl of stand-up mixer OR be prepared to use a hand mixer. Add almond milk, SLOWLY in TABLESPOON increments while mixing, to achieve the silky, glaze. 

My glaze was on the thin side and the cake resembled a large glazed doughnut, and I didn't really see anything wrong with a large glazed doughnut.  :)