Seitan Scaloppine is thin seitan (wheat gluten) cutlets smothered in a sauce of lemon and green olives. Low-fat, vegan, and full of protein.
People sometimes ask me if I miss meat. I don’t. After being a vegetarian for almost 21 years, I don’t find the look or smell of meat appealing in the least. What I do miss, a little, are some of the creative ways of cooking a big ol’ slice of something in sauce.
Often I’ll use slices of tofu or eggplant in such recipes, but when I really want a “toothier” texture, I turn to wheat gluten. It’s a processed food, I know, and it causes problems for lots of people, but my family and I seem to suffer no ill effects from eating it, so I like to experiment with it from time to time. I apologize to all my gluten-free readers for not having a gluten-free version of this recipe, but if you’re willing to experiment, I think the sauce would be delicious over bean-based burgers, tempeh, or tofu.
“Scaloppine” is a term for meat that is sliced or pounded very thin. Since I used wheat gluten, I didn’t slice or pound anything, but I did flatten the seitan as much as possible before cooking it. The result is a cutlet that is chewy without being rubbery, but I thought my first results were a little dry. I was all set to post the recipe when I decided to do a couple of experiments to find out if I could make the seitan a little moister and more tender. Yes, I could! Check the notes after the recipe for two tricks I discovered.
A few words about the recipe:
- Don’t be scared off by the number of ingredients or instructions. The scaloppine themselves are super-easy to make and take only about 35 minutes. You can make them ahead of time and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to put them together with the sauce.
- I used Meyer lemons, which are not as tart as regular lemons. If you’re using regular lemons, you may not need as much lemon juice in the sauce, so add to taste.
- Don’t add the cutlets to the sauce until you’re ready to serve because they will suck up all of the sauce. If you want a saucier dish, consider doubling the sauce ingredients. On the other hand, leftovers stored overnight with the sauce seemed more tender the next day, so sucking up sauce may be a good thing!
- I’ve included the nutritional info for the cutlets alone, so feel free to use them with any sauce you like (I’m planning on serving them with a tomato-mushroom sauce soon). They also make great sandwiches or fajitas. (I like to slice them horizontally to make them thinner for sandwiches.) Slice them or dice them and use to replace chicken in most any recipe.
Seitan Scaloppine with Lemon-Olive Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon basil
- 3/4 cup Imagine No-Chicken Broth or other vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons tahini or cashew butter
- 1 tablespoon unbleached flour
- 1 lemon sliced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed slightly
- 10 green olives pitted and sliced
- 1 1/4 cups No-Chicken Broth
- 2-3 tablespoons white wine or vermouth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
- salt and pepper
- additional vegetable broth as necessary
Instructions
- Tear off 4 pieces of aluminum foil about 10 inches long. (See tips below for a foil-free way of making the scaloppine.) Begin heating water in a steamer.
- In a large bowl, mix the vital wheat gluten with the nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, and basil. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the broth and tahini (or cashew butter). Stir the wet mixture into the dry until well blended. Knead gently 10 times. Quickly divide dough into 4 equal pieces.
- Take a piece of dough and shape and flatten it into a thin oval cutlet. Place it on a sheet of foil, a little higher than center. Fold the bottom of the foil over to meet the top, and then fold the two edges over about 1/2 inch to form a seam. Continue folding the foil by half inches until it reaches just above the cutlet. Flatten the cutlet down a little more, and then fold the left and right edges in the same way until the packet is snug around the cutlet. Repeat with all pieces of dough.
- Place the packets flat into the steamer and cover. Steam for 25 minutes. Keep packets sealed until you’re ready to use them.
- Spray a non-stick skillet (or some other non-iron skillet) with olive oil spray. Begin heating it as you prepare a plate containing the flour sprinkled with a little salt and pepper. Once the skillet is hot, unwrap each cutlet and lightly dredge each side in the flour and then place in the skillet. Cook until brown and then turn over and brown other side. Remove to a plate. (If you’d rather not use any oil at all, skip the flouring of the cutlets and just brown them alone. Your sauce may not thicken unless you add a little flour to it later.)
- Add the garlic and lemon slices to the pan. Cook until the lemon slices have softened, 2-3 minutes, and then remove them from the pan, leaving the garlic. Add the olives, broth, wine, and lemon juice and cook on medium heat until the liquid starts to reduce. Remove the garlic, add salt and pepper to taste, and return the cutlets to the pan. Turn them over to coat with the sauce. Simmer briefly to warm them through, and if the sauce becomes too thick, add a little broth to thin. Stir in the parsley, and remove the cutlets to plates. Spoon some sauce over each cutlet and garnish with lemon slices.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
SusanV
Here are the 52 comments that were deleted when the blog was moved:
Anonymous Missy said…
Hi, Susan:
You are unbelievably talented. I feel you could make just about anything look and sound appetizing.
Lemon sauce? I too love sauces and although i am learning how to cook, i do appreciate a good sauce.
I wonder how this recipe would fare with black bean burgers. Something tells me it would be a great combo.
Will have to save this one and give it a good once over, and see what i can learn from it. Thx.
P.S. Happy Saturday!!!
Cheers,
Missy.
2:08 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger Knit – R – Done said…
Looks good. I’ll have to try it when I’m in a fancy mood. I still haven’t mastered seitan, but I don’t have enough sense to quit trying.
2:31 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger andreaaa said…
this looks great !
i’ve never cooked seitan; it doesn’t look that easy, but
i hope i can try it soon..
2:46 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger Eddie G said…
That looks amazing!
3:03 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger shelby said…
I’m a seitan fanatic and I love making it myself so this recipe looks beyond fabulous!!
3:26 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger Lovliebutterfly said…
That looks delicious! I have never tried making seitan yet, I can’t find wheat gluten around here, I have to order it online. But if I do find it, I’m sure going to try this!
3:37 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger snugglebunny said…
This is going to be added to my seitan recipe stack. Since I can’t have tofu or tempeh (soy intolerance) I eat a lot of seitan. However, I may apply my cooking technique to your scaloppine by baking them in a broth. It also results in a very moist final product.
4:03 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger herbstsonne said…
Beautiful!!! 😀
4:18 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger JenMeister said…
Oh, yum! That is definately going in my “to try” bookmarks folder 🙂
4:48 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger Angela said…
Is the wine necessary? What could I use in place of it if we don’t use it?
5:02 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger aredcardigan said…
Thanks for sharing!!
I can’t make gluten anything but I am thinking the sauce would be good on mashed potatoes! hehe
5:16 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger Dawna said…
I believe this is my first time posting here… I feel like I’ve been following you long enough and I must lurk out of the shadows at last.
You make the best “seitan” around, in my opinion! I just made some from your creation last night actually!
This looks amazing! Thank you for having that “devil” on your shoulder telling you to “create”. 😉
5:47 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger SusanV said…
Angela, the wine just adds a little flavor, so you can leave it out and use a little more veggie broth.
5:48 PM, January 17, 2009
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Anonymous Jos said…
Hi Susan,
Your seitan recipes are the best and I am so happy that you managed to produce another delicious one. I will try it tomorrow for Sunday dinner! Even my non-vegan husband love your seitan recipes! Your recipe of the vegan pepperoni is his favorite one, and since preparing it for the first time, I always have to store one in the fridge for his sandwiches! Thank you!
6:11 PM, January 17, 2009
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Anonymous Ricki said…
Recipes like this one make me wish I still ate seitan! It looks fantastic. I think I’ll be trying this out with tempeh or a loaf!
6:37 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger Daughter of the King said…
Is the seitan just like making home made gluten? I guess you can just make the gluten with the seasonings you use. The other question is that can it be done with out the wine? I will not use any alcohol at all. yes I know that alcohol is cooked out of it, but prefer not to have it at all. Please let me know if the taste will be different and if it can be replaced by something else.
Thanks,
Katie
8:36 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger Chris said…
I recently tried this method of seitan for the first time and am now in love – it’s so simple and insanely delicious! I gobbled them up in hot dog buns, but was left craving, like you said, a slab of something in savory sauce. Which means, quite frankly, that you are my culinary godsend 😛 Thank you!
9:17 PM, January 17, 2009
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Anonymous Anonymous said…
I cooked it at home and it tastes great. You should have vegan restaurant.
10:09 PM, January 17, 2009
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Blogger veggievixen said…
mmm looks really delicious. i’ve always wanted to try making my own seitan!
11:17 PM, January 17, 2009
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Anonymous Emmie said…
Sounds great. I prefer vegetable dishes most of the time, but every bow and than I want something ‘meaty’. You’re so creative and talented!
12:48 AM, January 18, 2009
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Blogger valina said…
Hi! Can I ask you a question? How much calories has 100 grams of seitan? Your recipes are very interesting!
1:02 AM, January 18, 2009
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Blogger Vegetation said…
Wow! These look and sound perfect! I can’t wait to give them a try!
3:03 AM, January 18, 2009
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Blogger Azabel said…
Hi! I don’t speak English and use google translator, yours blog is really great! …and this recipe… yum! 🙂
6:59 AM, January 18, 2009
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Blogger nate said…
This looks a lot like a dish I had at Blossom in NYC over the holidays that I’ve been meaning to try to recreate. You’ve saved me lots of time experimenting, so… Thanks! Also, between this and the sausages, which I just had the other night, I’m really liking this “steam the seitan” idea. The wave of the future, I say!
1:31 PM, January 18, 2009
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Blogger speedwell said…
I’m a recently diagnosed diabetic, and my doctor told me I should see how I did on a low-carb diet. Doing this while vegetarian is monstrously difficult… so hard in fact that I’ve filled in with some meat, experimentally. Yuck, you are not missing anything. Meat and cheese have no flavors that you miss. I’d give anything to be able to go back to eating completely veg again.
1:34 PM, January 18, 2009
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Blogger Kim Nickens said…
I made the spicy black-eyed pea and collard soup today and it is absolutely outstanding! So glad to have found your blog . . . can’t wait to try more of your recipes! You should have a cookbook!
6:19 PM, January 18, 2009
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OpenID cookingforaveganlover said…
Amazing! This sounds so great!
6:20 PM, January 18, 2009
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Anonymous Anonymous said…
Hey,
Found your site/blog last week and I absolutely loved it. I’ve told my friends and family about it.
Thank you for sharing.
8:59 PM, January 18, 2009
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Anonymous Anonymous said…
This recipe looks great but I don’t have a steamer. Any suggestions on what I could use instead- I do have a rice cooker w/a steam basket that I have never used- would that be a good substitue?
7:34 AM, January 19, 2009
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Blogger Lauren said…
Yum! Perfect for my newly vegetarian hubby! 🙂 Thanks!
8:43 AM, January 19, 2009
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Anonymous Anonymous said…
Susan,
Is the nutritional yeast just for flavor? I would like to try seitan, but all the recipes I’ve seen use it and I’d rather not. Do you have any idea what I could replace it with?
AH
9:13 AM, January 19, 2009
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Blogger Jenny K said…
I loved this recipe! I made this for my boyfriend (omnivore and previous hater of seitan) and we both loved it. I used the foil method and it worked great.
Thank you so much for the recipe!
2:37 PM, January 19, 2009
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Anonymous fabio said…
This is good
my site of Italy food and cooking cooking italy
3:57 PM, January 19, 2009
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Blogger RACHEL LAM said…
love your blog! Have questions for you,
Where do you buy vital wheat gluten? Is there a certain brand you buy?
7:14 PM, January 19, 2009
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Anonymous Anonymous said…
Wow, this looks delicious! I really love seitan and was wondering if you knew how to make something like a seitan “shawarma”?
12:23 PM, January 20, 2009
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Anonymous Tosha H said…
Hello. The recipe looks amazing but I have a question. I don’t have a steamer is there any other way of steaming it or cooking it perhaps?
Thanks!
9:02 PM, January 20, 2009
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Anonymous linanil said…
I’m addicted to making seitan lately. I came here looking for another recipe but I think I love you…
10:33 AM, January 22, 2009
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Blogger Elessar said…
The irony of Susan making a great-looking seitan dish,pressing most MY buttons,is that I may have celiac (sp?) disease. I now have to try to go without gluten, without wheat, probably oats, barley, any glutiginous grains..for a few weeks, just to see if it reverses “14 out of 20” symptoms that may indiciate this…intolerance.
I am 2 days in to trying to jump through a new set of hoops. I had my wife try my moin-moin as shown by Susan, and…it went over as a “ok. once–don’t send this along with me as a tasty nibble, thanks, though. My mujadhra went down very well, at last, with my wife. Home Team 1-Away Team 5.I prepared..a cream of green bean soup today, and have non gluten, non wheat noodles ready to cook with my marinara sauce…and on the way home she stopped at a fast food place to write up her medical notes before she forgot them. Scratch one more dinner.
Ikeep your oh so tempting seitan recipe for the future, Susan. Lesley’s never liked seitan, so maybe I should just throw away all my cherished foods and swim to shore.
12:15 PM, January 22, 2009
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Blogger Vita-VEGAN-Vegamin said…
I am so intimidated by seitan! I do make some things with vital wheat gluten, but the steaming and such of wrapping and steaming, etc. seems daunting to me. I’m just going to have to bite the bullet and give it a try! You talked me into it!
4:02 PM, January 22, 2009
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Anonymous Kris said…
Oh my goodness- I love scallopine! Thank you so much- you are such a talent!
8:03 PM, January 22, 2009
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Blogger A said…
To Tosha H,
Ive made seitan for a few years now, mostly sausages. And even though steaming makes for the better method (more moist) you can put the foil wrappes in the oven, too. Remember to turn them or they will end up thougher on one side.
I would simmer them, as Susan suggested, to get them more moist.
4:34 AM, January 23, 2009
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OpenID zerbert said…
These were great! I haven’t tried the sauce yet, but I will soon as I LOVE green olives. But we had some gravy that needed using up, so I just made the cutlets. I put them in the steamer with no foil and no plate either and they turned out great. Hubby loved them too! Thanks!!
9:20 PM, January 23, 2009
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Blogger in2insight said…
These turned out super good!
Did the steam method without foil.
LOVED the sauce.
Thanks
2:32 PM, January 28, 2009
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Anonymous kls said…
Hi, Susan, I’m a big fan of your seitan BBQ Ribz and make them regularly. Last night I tried the steaming method using the plates (for a different recipe though) and it came out great. I used my rice cooker with 2 pairs of plates, each set holding 2 cutlets. Awesome texture! Not rubbery like when I’ve simmered seitan. Yea!
To those of you who haven’t tried making your own wheat meat, do it! Do it now! It’s sooo easy. I wish I’d learned sooner. Hubby doesn’t really like tempeh so sometimes I use seitan instead. The beauty of it is that you can flavor it any way you want and you’re not limited to what you can get in the store.
10:14 AM, January 30, 2009
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Anonymous Serene said…
I made the cutlets, but modified the sauce. I used a lemon, five sliced garlic cloves, and a cup of apple juice. At the end, I added a good cup or so of finely chopped fresh kale. This was really, really delicious.
11:03 PM, January 30, 2009
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OpenID veganefcliz said…
This is the first time I have ever made seitan that hasn’t looked like brains or a sponge!! Thankyou, thankyou thankyou!!
2:25 AM, February 02, 2009
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Anonymous Susan Bliss said…
The lemon-olive sauce is impressive, but I need some help with the cutlets–mine were tough. Two things I might have done wrong: over-kneading and not rolling thin enough–could those mistakes caused toughness? As there were only two of us for dinner, we had leftovers and I sliced the cutlets quite thin. They tasted better that way, so I’m thinking that thinness is key. Maybe someone with more seitan experience than I could offer advice. Thanks!
1:11 PM, February 06, 2009
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Anonymous Alyssa said…
Delicious! I was able to roll mine very thin with a rolling pin, and the no-foil method worked out great for me. I thought the sauce was excellent, but my hubby got simply fried seitan since he’s not much of a sauce guy (or lemon/olive guy for that matter). Either way, it was awesome. Total comfort food, thanks Susan!
3:22 PM, February 07, 2009
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Anonymous Anonymous said…
I made these with my bf for Valentine’s Day and they were simple and delicious. We used the 2 plate method with the steamer and the texture was just right. This is now my favorite homemade seitan recipe, and the sauce really compliments the cutlets.
2:29 PM, February 15, 2009
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Anonymous Anonymous said…
Tried your plate-steaming method with one of your sausage recipes. This worked very well(great seitan sausage), was less labor intensive(no rolling of sausage links as I just formed quick patties), and pleased my green conscience(as I didn’t have to use aluminum foil). Great idea!
1:06 PM, February 24, 2009
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Blogger Alan S said…
Thanks so much – you are truly inspirational.
5:26 AM, April 07, 2009
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Anonymous Anonymous said…
DELECTABLE!!! I love seitan and I love to make it. I had not done so in a long while and I decided a few days ago to see what recipe I would find in cyberspace. I do not know what scaloppine means but the sound of it enticed me to check it out. When I saw the picture and the ingredients, I was compelled to get to work. I especially liked that your recipe calls for steaming. I knew I would not be disappointed. I usually use mirin (Eden or Mitoku brands) for any recipe that calls for any kind of wine.
3:38 PM, August 01, 2009
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Anonymous
If anyone is looking for gluten-free seitan recipes there are a number at http://www.meatandeggfree.com/gluten-free-seitan.html
Leslie
Wow! This site has some great recipes on it. So glad to have discovered it. Can't wait to try some of this. I think I may make the crustless quiche tonight. Thanks!! Leslie
Erin
Is it possible to bake the seitan instead of steaming it?
Basil
This was my third time making something with seitan, and this turned out great! I love the addition of the olives- can you add more recipes with olives? I really liked the tip about simmering these too, that made the cutlets a lot moister and more tender. So pretty, and so good.
A. Pellicano
If I want to freeze the seitan would you recommend freezing after they are steamed and leave them in the foil, or after they are soaked in the broth, or just dry? This is my first attempt at home made seitan. We’ll see!!
Thanks
SusanV
I’ve never frozen them before, but if I had to guess, I would say leave them in the foil and freeze them. Then when they’re defrosted, you can pick up from that point in the recipe. Please let me know what happens if you try.
Karen
They freeze beautifully and than you just continue with what ever recipe you are using the seitan for.
Love your site, Susan!!
invitations for kids party
Very delicious! so healthy food!
Going to try it…
Veronika
YUM! We made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. We prepared and steamed the seitan last night, which helped. The sauce took a little longer than I expected to prepare and cook, but overall it was extremely delicious and easy. This sauce will compliment many other dishes, I can’t wait to use it on tofu for example. Thanks again, this was a big hit.
Erin
Just leaving a note to say I tried this for family holiday dinner. Loved it- Pretty easy. Thanks for sharing!!
Susan
Brilliant, thanks so much for this process for making the cutlets! I haven’t made the recipe, but have been looking for ages for a way to make the basic seitan recipe that doesn’t result in a sticky rubber ball that is impossible to shape into anything. This does it perfectly, and the cutlets came out looking just like they had gone into the steamer.
Veronica
First time making seitan. Can i freeze half of this once it’s done?
Susan Voisin
You can freeze the seitan, but I wouldn’t freeze the lemons.
Veronica
k, thank you!
Ron Cosburn
Just made this for supper for my wife who is a vegetarian. I am not a vegetarian but really enjoyed the sauce. It was great and would certainly do this again soon.
Next I will try with bbq.
Thanks.
shelley
Hello Susan my mother in law is vegetarian and she makes delicious vegetarian hamburgers – here is the recipe below, perhaps you can adapt it for your needs.
1 onion chopped / 1 tomato chopped / 1/2 green pepper chopped. Boil 1 cup brown lentils and 1 cup green split peas together with the above ingredients and a pinch of salt. Let mixture cool completely and it must have a little bit of water left above the lentil mixture in the pot. Once cooled completely add an egg and flour to form a nice stiff batter of dropping consistency. Heat a little oil in the fry pan and drop tablespoons of mixture into the oil. When the one side is brown and firm turn over and brown the other side. I find that I make the above with half a cup of lentils only as this recipe feeds about eight people and is too much for me, also I do not like split peas. So you can tweak the recipe as you like. Can be used on sandwiches for lunches the next day or make a hamburger for dinner or I bake with vegetables in a creamy cheese sauce. Thank you Shelley. PS – Don’t add other ingredients barr the original ones because for some reason the recipe will flop.
Brenda
WOW, Susan. I made this tonight and it was great!
I have a Secura pressure cooker/steamer/rice cooker, etc. So I steamed the cutlets in there….turned out great! It was my first time using the steam function and I thought it was odd that it stayed on “steam” for 5min and then switched to warm….
Hmmm. I just left them in there for 30 more minutes then proceded as instructions said. No harm, not fowl, eh? 🙂
I wonder….why do you suggest removing the garlic from the pan before adding the sauce?
Thanks again for another inspired recipe. I’ll be using those cutlets with many variations of toppings, I think!
Amy
This was AMAZING. One modification I made was to use panko for the breading. It made a really delicious crust. My husband raved about it. When we ate meat, veal scalloppine was one of his favorite dishes and he LOVED this!
Thanks so much. I love your blog!
Brenda
Oh, wow! I made this tonight as my first foray into homemade seitan and it was a resounding success. I subbed limes, poultry seasoning, and capers because that’s what I had in the pantry, and it was delicious. My omni mom is visiting soon, and I was planning to make the No-Fu Loaf. But now I’ll be making this recipe again, thanks for another winner!
Lisa Thorell
Wow! This was superb! My meat-eater husband went for seconds on the seitan as the sauce was so fabulous. I’ve tried seitan as a beef-meatball substitute with mixed success before but this really works. Your steam technique for moistening the cutlets makes a big difference. I’ll be back!
Kathleen Aston
Just taking the first few steps into a vegan life-style test. Your site makes it look delicious. A little overwhelmed as I’m a single, working mom who’s a bit older. Need simplicity…a few good dishes I can make and eat leftovers throughout the week. I am looking forward to trying some of your recipies!
erberry@sbcglobal.net
Now that I am registered, I thought I would be able to keep a recipe file of saved recipes. However, though it says, “added” my box remains empty. What am I not doing right?
Emily
We made this and it was amazing! I used black olives instead of green but besides that followed it exactly. So delicious!! Thanks!
Kaylyn
I agree with you. I don’t miss meat in any way as for the meat taste itself. I miss the way things are prepared or texture that I have gotten used to in my younger years when I ate meat. Those preferences stay with you just like anything else from childhood. This is why the ignorance of the people who eat meat and make dumb comments annoy me. I am not preparing something that is usually meat based because I miss the meat, I miss eating the sauce, seasoning, and vegetables that were prepared in a certain way with it. The common meats are fairly bland all alone so it’s how we dress it that’s missed. I also miss how it holds up or the texture. I don’t like soggy soy crumbles mushed together instead of a firm chicken breast in a dish with sauce so, yes, I appreciate a seitan or other substitute prepared to have the similar textures. Sorry for the rant but ignorance seems to be growing instead of diminishing all around these days…
John
Easy to make and family DEVOURED it and asked “How come you’ve never made this before today?” This will be a keeper for sure. Can’t wait to make it again. Pre-vegan, we used to eat lots of chicken marinated in garlic … of course the same concept works with seitan. Thanks so much for this wonderful idea!