Noodles and "Beef" Seitan in a Black Bean Sauce

So after having snow on Tuesday and a low of zero degrees, today was a summery 22 degrees. Hey, are wildly varying temperatures a sign of global warming? Good thing there isn't a scientific consensus on that, otherwise I might be worried. Heh heh. Anyway, the great thing about tonight's dish is that it features green onions from our garden! Woot, woot! Our first produce of the season! There is nothing more satisfying than growing your own food. It also has another seitan experiment--beef-like seitan strips. I would like to fool around with the recipe a bit, but it was good enough to post and the boys really loved it.

INGREDIENTS

"Beef" Seitan

- 1/4 cup TVP

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1/4 cup vegetarian stir fry sauce

- 2 tbsp HP sauce

- 1 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce

- 1/2 tsp browning sauce

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp onion powder

- 3/4 cup vital wheat gluten

- 2-4 tbsp water (if needed)

- 2 tbsp oil for frying

METHOD

1. Put TVP in a bowl with oil and the sauces. Let sit for a few mins so that the TVP soaks up some of the liquid. Add spices and wheat gluten and enough water (if needed) to make a stiff yet kneadable dough. Knead for a few mins to mix everything together.

2. Shape dough into a log and flatten. Cut into thin strips.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry strips for 1 min per side and set aside

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1" piece ginger, minced

- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced

- 1/4 cup black bean sauce

- 2 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 1/4 cup water

- "beef" seitan strips

- 12 oz noodles (your choice), cooked (I used a thin, wheat-based Chinese noodles)

- 4 green onion, thinly sliced

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a wok over med-hi heat. Stir fry onion, garlic, ginger and red pepper for 2-3 mins, until onion and pepper soften. Add black bean, soy sauce, brown sugar, water and seitan strips. Reduce heat to medium and let bubble away for 10 mins, stirring regularly.

2. Add noodles, mix well, and heat through. If the dish is too dry, add more bean sauce and water. Adjust to taste. Top with sliced onions and serve.