Lime Seitan Sticks with Quinoa, Herbed Mushrooms

I had an idea a day or two ago of slicing seitan (wheat gluten) into thin sticks, marinating in a lime sauce, and sauteing, then serving over rice. I prepared something like that today but over quinoa, which I haven't made for some time and which I thought would provide a nicer looking backdrop than darker colored whole-grained rices. My wife and I loved the seitan and I intend to prepare it in this way again, experimenting with serving it with roasted potatoes and in other dishes.

I started by slicing the seitan and pouring Consorzio organic Baja Lime marinade, as well as some ginger and a little garlic, over it. I let it sit for about 3 hours, poured off the marinade, and sauteed the seitan till it was nice and crispy, maybe 6-8 minutes. I then transferred the seitan to a paper towel to absorb excess oil, and put the mushrooms into the pan. I sauteed the mushrooms for a few minutes, and added some red wine, home grown minced herbs, and seasonings just before the mushrooms were cooked.

I made a simple quinoa dish in parallel. I put a tiny amount (1/2 teaspoon?) of canola oil in a pan and heated it; I tossed in some cumin seeds and sauteed them for about 20-30 seconds, stirring and ensuring the seeds didn't get too browned. I then added quinoa and twice as much water (I could have used broth, but wanted the seitan and lime flavor to shine through), as well as a pinch of turmeric, brought to a boil for 3-5 minutes or so, then turned the heat off, covered the pan, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.

I served the seitan sticks on top of the quinoa and (after I took the picture) put a little hot sauce on top. In consonance with the lime marinade, I put a little Thai Sesame Lime dressing /marinade from Drew's on some lettuce leaves. I served some fabulous leftover raw avocado-lime soup from a feast at Café Parizäde that we had yesterday to round out the dinner.

Ah yes, yesterday's banquet! I had a photo competition for my adult and teen digital photography students. We met at Café Parizäde, where I work with Chef Robert Adams for great meals, including the country's largest vegetarian Thanksgiving. We had, as always, great food, including:

• Grilled flat breads with roasted red pepper and eggplant spreads
• Lentil-brown/wild rice cakes with lemon tahini
• Tomato-onion salad
• Quinoa salad
• Roasted corn-off-the-cob accented with smoked poblano peppers and cumin, served with a light sprinkling of lime and salt
• Spicy grilled polenta with spinach & pesto
• Seared portabello mushrooms served with herbed mixed whole grain rices and topped with a maple-citrus syrup
• Tempeh and vegetables
• Basil-roasted garlic whipped potatoes
• Raw spicy avocado-lime soup

That soup, which I served leftovers of tonight, was inspired by the amazing Spicy Avocado-Lime Soup of Chef Jannequin Bennett's (though my wife liked Chef Robert's even more!) that we had last Sunday at the five-course vegan rawfood meal at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. I asked Chef Robert at Parizäde if he could make a soup like that, and boy, did he succeed! It was creamy and delicious and - like all the other menu items - vegan! We also had fresh seasonal fruits (strawberries and peaches), and coconut milk-based fresh peach cake with raspberry frosting. What a dinner!