Monday, March 19, 2007

Seitan and Strawberries



I made some seitan using the recipe from VWAV. Then wondering what I would do with it I flicked to the next page of the book and saw Jerk Seitan. I didn’t really know what it was supposed to taste like as it’s flavoured with lime, allspice, nutmeg and soy sauce among other things which sounded a strange mix to me, but it turned out really nice. Very tasty, but not the greatest dish lookswise.
Then with the rest of the seitan (I only made half a batch) I decided to make “meatballs”. I didn’t bother with a recipe, just mixed the ground seitan with breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, herbs and a “flax egg” to bind it together. Then I baked them in the oven and then served them with whole wheat pasta and tomato sauce. They turned out a little soft, next time I will need more breadcrumbs or something.
Now, for my new favourite thing in the world! Strawberries and balsamic vinegar! I adapted this from a Jamie Oliver recipe and it is so so so delicious! You can serve them with vegan yogurt or ice cream. I tried with vanilla soy yogurt and lime soy yogurt, both were super yummy, but they are also gorgeous all on their own.

Balsamic Strawberries (Serves 2-4)

1lb strawberries
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2-3 basil leaves, chopped

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover and let sit for at least half an hour at room temperature. Do not let sit for more than 2 hours. Serve and enjoy.

13 comments:

Emmy said...

Oooooh, the balsamic strawberries sound wonderful. YUM!

MeloMeals said...

I love balsamic vinegar and strawberries... black pepper is good with them too..

your seitan meatballs look good.. too bad they were mushy.. I know what you mean by that.. they may firm up a bit overnight in the fridge

bazu said...

Gorgeous is right- those strawberries look so beautiful! Now, if only I could convince myself to go make some seitan...

Anonymous said...

Your "meatballs" look very pretty. I've never been able to make seitan. The strawberries are just coming into the stores here -- can't wait until the price goes down so I can try them with balsamic vinegar.

vko said...

The jerk seitan & meatballs look tasty- even if they were mushy...

Strawberries look fabulous and I love balsamic vinegar- will definitely give it a go!

KleoPatra said...

JOY! That is joy, those strawbs there. What an interesting combo... never tried the balsamic vinegar w/those red sweeties... i always learn something new around these parts!!

The seitan and "meat"balls... look great!!! They do - and mushy's not always so bad. Maybe heated in the oven they will get "tougher" ??

Thanks for sharing. Really nice to see the great food!

Sheree' said...

Oh how I love strawberries! I have not had them with balsamic vinegar. I will have to give them a try.

Everyone keeps talking about VwaV seitan. I might make this today. It looks really good!

Anonymous said...

Hi Scottish Vegan !

Thanks for your visit ! It's my first time over to your blog and I so agree with everything you said in this post !
I love the flavor of the Jerk Seitan but also found it not so great to look at... I remember mentionning exactly that in my post about it LOL

Balsamic vinegar and strawberries are divine ! Can't wait to make that again.

scottishvegan said...

emmy, thanks! They were very yummy!

melody, I have heard that black pepper is nice with strawberries, but never tried it. I will need to do it when I have some more strawberries. I have eaten all the ones I bought! The meatballs were a little firmer the next day, but then I mashed them up and made them in to a sandwich filling!!

bazu, seitan does seem like a bit of an effort to make, doesn’t it? I’m not sure why because most of the time is spent simmering it...

midwest vegan, my hubby didn’t think the meatballs looked pretty...but I don’t tell you what he did say they looked like!! :)

vko, if you like strawberries and balsamic vinegar then you will love them together!

veg-a-nut, the VWaV setain is the only recipe I have tried, but it seemed to work pretty good the few times I’ve tried it. Hope it comes out good for you too!

gaia, thanks for visiting my blog! Divine is such a good word for the strawberries...that’s exactly what they are!

scottishvegan said...

kleopatra, sorry I missed you somehow! I meant to say to you that the strawberries and balsamic vinegar together is an unusual combination, but a really good one! I saw the recipe ages ago and never got round to trying it because I thought it might not be so good...but I was wrong! The meatballs were less mushy the next day...maybe next time I will need to make them in advance!

laura k said...

Wow, balsamic strawberries sound fantastic--and look so elegant!

Kate said...

Your seitan meatballs looks fantastic! And wow, strawberries and balsamic vinegar, I would never have thought to put the two together.

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