Halloween Seitan and Kale, Whole Wheat Couscous with Brussels Sprouts, Fermented Vegetables with Bell Pepper (No Added Fat)
Happy Halloween! I had a little pumpkin puree on hand and was very happy with my recent (October 18th) experiment cooking with seitan and pumpkin puree. I came up with the idea of cooking seitan with vegetables and pumpkin, then mixing in fresh, raw tomatoes when I served. I made the mistake of mixing the tomatoes in with the couscous which I had thought to make as a side dish - and, in hindsight, I think my "mistake" was fortuitous as it nicely elevated the taste and presentation of the couscous. Here's what I did.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
- 3/4 cup water (I accidentally used 1 cup)
- 1 cup frozen Brussel sprouts
- Vegan bouillon cube
- 2/3 cup tomato cut into 1/2" cubes (much of a small-medium tomato)
- 2T minced basil leaves
- 3/4 cup onion cut into thin half moons app. 1/4" x 1 1/2"
- 8 ounces of seitan (I used strips, but any convenient size can be used)
- 1 1/3 cups carrot cut into 3/8" widths (I used two medium carrots)
- 1 2/3 compressed cups kale in approximately 1" hand torn pieces (stems excepted)
- 4 ounces pumpkin puree
- 1/2 t salt
- Whole wheat couscous cooks in a 1 : 1.5 ratio to water, but I accidentally used 1:2. I put the couscous, water, salt, and bouillon cube in a small pan and brought to a boil.
- I added the Brussels sprouts, let the temperature come back to a boil, then simmered on low heat, covered, for 10m.
- In parallel, I made the main course by cooking waterlessly. I put, in this order, the onion, seitan, carrot, kale, and pumpkin into a large Saladmaster stock pan. I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 20 minutes.
- When I was ready to serve, I mixed in salt in equal parts (i.e., 1/4 t each) to each dish; to the couscous dish, I also added the tomato and basil.
Labels: Brussels sprout, Kale, No Added Fat, Saladmaster, seitan, Waterless cooking