"Steak" anyone?

Just wanted to post real quick on this dinner that I had last night. Last weekend I prepared a new batch of seitan and shaped then sliced it so that it came out looking like "steaks". My plan was to grill some of them and make a really yummy sauce for them.

Done!

I just had to give it grill marks.

The sauce was inspired by Alton Brown's meatloaf sauce. I made that meatloaf recipe a couple of months ago and fell head-over-heels in love with that little sauce he makes.

I left out the Worcestershire sauce and honey.  What I did to substitute was look at the ingredients in Worcestershire sauce and replace with some of the key ones. So I added about 1/2 tsp. of black strap molasses, about a tsp apple cider vinegar, a little garlic powder. Also threw in a few dashes of soy sauce. And then for the honey I used honey-flavored agave nectar instead.

(I have a problem - I only measure for sure when I do any baking of any kind. As far as savory stuff goes, a lot of times it's to taste when I cook. Hence I don't always measure stuff. So you're gonna have to play and experiment if you want to reproduce any of my stuff.  Playing and experimenting are what I did, after all!)

Together with my sides, this was the final meal:

The potatoes were sauteed in olive oil, seasoned with Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning, and topped with Daiya cheddar cheesy shreds. The broccoli was just steamed, seasoned with the same Mrs. Dash seasoning, and topped with Smart Balance light spread (hey, that one's vegan!).

When I made this batch of seitan I kneaded it, let the dough rest, then kneaded it again. I wanted to see if that caused a change in texture. It most definitely did. This seitan is not spongy-fluffy like my first batch. Instead it has a stronger texture. It's chewier and gummier.  So how many times you knead makes a difference. This should come as no surprise to anyone that makes bread regularly (yours truly included here!). I always hear about how it's the gluten in flour that gives bread its elasticity and how if you overstir batters made with all-purpose flour you run the risk of developing the gluten too much, such that your product may lose some of the desired delicate texture as a result. It was neat to see that concept in action here, with this being straight gluten and all.

And Daiya cheese? I really like it. It melts slower than regular cheese. But it melts and tastes great.

Yum!