Seitan Guisada

Seitan is a protein packed wheat gluten that can be used as a vegan meat alternative for sooo many things. Here, I edit my mom's recipe for Carne Guisada into a rich vegan taco filling. You can make your own, but if a grocery store has a tofu section, they probably (hopefully) have seitan.

Ingredients:

8 oz. seitan cubes or strips

1 tbsp. oil of your choice

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 c. tomato sauce

3 tbsp. vegan flour

1/2 c. veggie broth or water

1 tbsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. cumin (we go heavy on the cumino in my family)

salt and pepper to taste

cilantro or green onion for garnish


Directions:

Heat oil and add seitan to brown, about 10 minutes on medium heat. Add 3/4 of your onion and sauté 5 minutes (save some for garnish). Add garlic and continue cooking for about 1 more minute. Add flour and tomato sauce. Sauce can be either store bought or you can easily blend a few tomatoes to make 2 cups.

Add broth/water and chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. It will seem very liquidy here, but will soon thicken into a gravy. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer, covered, for 1 hour (peak and stir every once in a while to make sure nothing's sticking).

Let it sit uncovered for about 5 minutes to cool down and thicken a bit more. Serve in warm tortillas and top with the extra onion, plus green onion and cilantro if you've got it. Add Cholula if you're feelin' spicy.

Taco yield: 7
Spice-o-Meter: Mild to Medium