Thursday, February 11, 2010

Tropical Seitan Pasta Salad

This is truly a family favorite. I made this dish for Christmas, and I wrote at the time that I would post the recipe soon. Well, I just made it again for my sister-in-law's birthday, so I thought I'd post it now. I am planning on playing around with making homemade seitan over the summer break, but for now, I'm very pleased with the brand I use. This has a bit of zingy flavor at first due to the brand of peanut sauce, but it's the best for this dish. I've tried other brands, and they haven't been up to par. I hope your family enjoys this and requests this as much as mine does.



Tropical Seitan Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. of linguine
2 pkgs. of liquid packed chicken-style seitan made by Westoy
1 Tbs. of canola oil
1 red bell pepper, halved widthwise and julienned
2 papayas
1 bunch of cilantro, leaves coarsely chopped
1 jar of House of Tsang peanut sauce
3 limes

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. While pasta water is heating, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Drain the liquid from the seitan packages. I reserve the liquid for later uses, such as a base for gravy or stock for soup. Chop the seitan into bite-sized pieces and saute them until brown, about five minutes or so. Meanwhile, while the pasta and seitan are cooking, you can prepare the fruit and veggies, unless you're organized and done this ahead of time. In a large bowl, put the julienned bell pepper and cilantro leaves. A quick way I remove the cilantro leaves from the stems is to hold the entire bunch of stems in one hand, and take a sharp knife and quickly slice down towards the cutting board. I turn the cilantro around to get all sides. If I get small chunks of stem, they get chopped up into the dish as well. To prepare the papaya, slice in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Then cut in several long, narrow wedges. Take your paring knife, and carefully slice the fruit from the peel, then cut in each wedge in half widthwise. Add these to the bowl. When the seitan is cooked, add it to the bowl. Pour the hot noodles in as well, before they have time to stick together while cooling. Gently toss all the goodies together. Pour the entire bottle of peanut sauce over everything, and toss to thoroughly coat. Cut each lime into quarters, and squeeze the juice over the pasta. Mix once again. Can be served at room temperature or chilled; both are delicious. Now you have one of my family's all-time favorite recipes. Treat it with care and love! Feeds at least five hungry vegans.

10 comments:

  1. Sounds good! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Alicia

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  2. Oh!!! This would be a great summer dish along with some asian salad, we need to combine meals and have a picninc!!! LOL
    Looks so good! Where do you get already prepared seitan, I have only found it at the scary Thai market and it was frozen...Hmm? I would love to find some pre-made, is it as good as homemade?

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  3. This a really creative combination and sounds really tasty. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  4. Hello, Ladies - Alicia, Vivacious Vegan, and Rose! Thanks for the feedback.

    Vivacious Vegan, I have found pre-packaged seitan at Whole Foods and at Raleys/Bel Air markets (which I think are just California based). However, I've seen online stores that sell it, as well. As far as taste, I like this brand and flavor very much. I've tried others that aren't as good. A few years ago, I tried my hand at making seitan, and it came out rubbery each time I made it. So, this style of seitan actually tastes better to me than my homemade version!

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  5. Very creative! I will try to remember this for summer. Would probably work well w/soba noodles too.

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  6. I recently took a job as a personal chef and one of the kids is a vegan. Your site has helped me tremendously!

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  7. Thanks, Sarah! That's a real compliment. I hope the child in question likes all the food you make them, whether or not they come from my site. :) And, thanks, for putting that extra effort in for them - it shows your character.

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  8. Looks good! I'm sending out the link via twitter tomorrow morning.

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  9. Thank you, Fruitful Vine2! Have a blessed week.

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