Sage & Mustard Seitan Cutlets, Curried Corn, Lemon Broccoli

My best seitan yet! Both in flavor and consistency.

Seitan cutlets studded with fennel seed, garlic, fresh sage and lemon zest, served with creamed corn in a homemade curry coconut sauce and lightly sauteed broccoli with garlic and more lemon.

Sage & Mustard Seitan Cutlets
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1/2 white onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp whole fennel seeds
1 cup white beans, bean juice reserved
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbl minced fresh sage leaves
2 tbl dijon mustard
1 3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup ap flour, divided
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
3 tbl olive oil
zest and juice from half a lemon

Saute the onions with the olive oil until soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and toast for 3 minutes until fragrant. Add the white beans and reserved bean broth. You want 1 cup of bean broth, add water if needed to get to 1 cup. Remove from the heat and mash the mixture until the beans are fully smashed. Transfer the bean mash to a bowl and add the nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, sage and mustard and mix to combine. Add the vital wheat gluten and 1/4 cup ap flour and mix just to combine.
Transfer to a mixer with a dough hook (or do it by hand) and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth.
Separate the seitan into 4 cutlets and flatten. A meat mallet works best. The seitan will puff up significantly when you boil it, so mash them thinner than normal.
Bring a large pot of vegetable broth and water to a boil reduce to a simmer. Add the seitan cutlets and simmer for 1 hour, adding more water if necessary to keep the seitan constantly emerged.
Remove from the broth and pat dry. Dredge in the remaining 1/4 cup flour, seasoned with lemon zest, salt and pepper and pan saute in 3 tbl olive oil until browned on both sides. Squeeze lemon juice over the cutlets before serving.

Lemon Broccoli
1 head broccoli florets
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
zest and juice from half a lemon
coarse sea salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the broccoli. Boil for 3 minutes then drop in a big bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and retain the bright color. Heat the oil and garlic up in a saute pan. Once the garlic has toasted, add the broccoli, lemon zest, lemon juice and sea salt. Saute for 5 minutes until slightly crisp.

Curried Corn
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
pinch red pepper flakes
2 tbl curry powder (recipe below)
1 tbl organic dark brown sugar
3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
salt and pepper

In a small sauce pot, heat the oil and saute the onions over medium heat until soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and curry powder and toast 2 minutes more. Stir in the corn kernels then pour in the coconut milk, brown sugar and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer on medium low heat for 15 minutes until the flavors have melded and the coconut milk has thickened.

Did you know is no such thing as a spice called "curry". Curry powder is a blend of loads of spices and herbs and each one is different from the next. Of course you can always buy a pre-made blend of curry powder, but why not make your own? The spices are customizable to your likes and the overall taste will explode with fresh flavors. If you like to use curry powder a lot, make a big batch and keep it in a spice container for a few months. This is my curry powder recipe customized to my tastes, experiment and change it up to suit you if you want!

Curry Powder Mix
3 tbl whole coriander seeds
2 tbl whole cumin seeds
2 tbl ground turmeric
2 tbl ground cardamom
1 tbl dry mustard
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

You will need a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder for this recipe.
Heat a dry saute pan up and toast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Transfer to a mortar and pestle or grinder and combine the remaining ingredients. Grind into a fine powder.