If you're trying to lighten up and eat a bit healthier in this warmer weather, check out our Ultimate Healthy Foods That Taste Good video which includes tutorials on how to craft Tzatziki with Baked Pita Chips, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Citrus Beet Salad, and Grilled Steak Salad. But "heathy" can be a subjective word because one dish that may be deemed healthy by one individual might not be considered such by another. And on the subject of meat, what are some tasty meat-free alternatives? How about seitan, aka wheat gluten?

After my two satisfactory but not sensational experiences with tofu and tempeh, I was ready for the third member of the vegetarian meat-substitute trifecta— seitan. At first, I thought seitan was a soy product like tempeh and tofu, but this is not so. Seitan is made from the protein portion of wheat (the gluten, which is what’s left over after you remove the starch from flour). Seitan is also known as wheat gluten, wheat meat, and Mock Duck.  As the monikers wheat meat and Mock Duck imply, seitan is often used as a meat/protein substitute all over the world. Seitan can be purchased dry or in cans but is comparatively expensive to what could easily be made in your own kitchen. 

Since seitan is a common meat substitute, I decided to use it in the place of chicken in chicken marsala. I did some searching and found a popular and flavorful seitan recipe from the Post Punk Kitchen Forums.  Normally, seitan is boiled, which can render it rubbery.  Another option is to bake the seitan which creates a dense, moist, yet chewy texture. As with any recipe, feel free to modify spices based on your personal preference. For example, I lacked vegetarian Worchestershire sauce, so I substituted sesame oil. Anyway, the internet is loaded with seitan marsala dishes. I chose the Seitan-Shallots Marsala from The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook by Robin Robertson. The recipe was found at The Food Paper. It is an untraditional Marsala dish because it lacks mushrooms but the amount of flavor in the sauce completely makes up for the lack of mushrooms.

Seitan-Shallots Marsala
4 servings
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, quartered
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
1 tablespoon tamari or other soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon tomato paste
1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 pound store-bought or homemade seitan, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon of  oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until soft and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add the stock, Marsala, tamari, thyme and tomato paste to the skillet and heat almost to a boil. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and boil, whisking for 1 minute, or until the sauce is thickened. Set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seitan and season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes total. Add the shallots, and sauce and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately.

The cooked seitan had a texture reminiscent of chicken breast and it absorbed the rich flavors of the Marsala wine. The “wheat meat” was dense enough that there were leftovers and I placed them on a toasted cheese sandwich for a sandwich the next day. Yum! Next time, I’ll be going farther East and dishing out a vegetarian curry. Can I take the heat?

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