Forums: March 2010 Kickstart Forum Archive: tempeh or seitan
Created on: 03/01/10 04:20 PM Views: 1764 Replies: 5
rainbowmama Joined: 03/01/10 Posts: 3	tempeh or seitan Posted Monday, March 1, 2010 at 4:20 PM What exactly are these items in my title? I am very new to vegetarian and vegan diets - I am past gastric bypass 12 years ago in May 2010 (May 199. I have regained about 55 pounds and I wish to see it and more disappear. I honestly just made myself start like many vegetables only 6-8 months ago and love them - broccoli, romaine lettuce, asparagus. I figured I'd start with the ones many people told me were the hard to adjust to ones and go from there! I am 47 years old and always hated vegetables then started watching Oprah, Dr. Oz, and the food network and they made everything sound so good so started trying things. I know only drink and use light Vanilla Soy milk, make my own smoothies with fresh and frozen fruits, yogurt, and soymilk, and a little squirt of stevia. I have come along ways but have so much more to try and get confused by the ingredients to know if its vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, etc. I tried Alicia's Rice Dream ice cream she mentioned on Oprah in a mint form from Whole Foods and they are SOOOooo Delicious. Anxious to learn so much more and get healthier everyday! Thank YOU!
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rainbowmama Joined: 03/01/10 Posts: 3	RE: tempeh or seitan Posted Monday, March 1, 2010 at 4:24 PM Alicia Silverstone mentions these as ingredients in some of her recipes so was wondering - thanks!
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essie Joined: 02/26/10 Posts: 163	RE: tempeh or seitan Posted Monday, March 1, 2010 at 4:30 PM Tempeh (pronounced TEM-pay) is made from soybeans and grains, usually rice. It's pressed into cakes and fermented. It has a kind of nutty taste, and is a good source of protein. You can make all kinds of things out of it, either sliced or crumbled. There's a recipe for Tempeh Tostadas in Dr. Barnard's book Breaking the Food Seduction that's really really good: http://books.google.com/books?id=VixE_PWeqbYC&lpg=PA247&ots=4wKIR2MQxn&dq=tempeh%20tostada%20barnard&pg=PA247#v=onepage&q=&f=false Seitan (pronounce SAY-TAN) is wheat gluten--which is another way of saying it's just the protein of whole wheat, with everything else rinsed away. What's left is a chewy dough that's simmered or steamed/baked until it firms into a meaty texture. You can buy it in tubs like tofu (in the cold section of the grocery) or make your own from the flour, which is called Vital Wheat Gluten. It's usually in the baking aisle. Lots of good recipes for that too. It's good in stir fries or with pasta sauce, etc., for example. Meat eaters tend to like it best out of all the "mock meats." Hope that helps. Have fun trying new stuff!
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summerperk Joined: 01/01/10 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 40	RE: tempeh or seitan Posted Monday, March 1, 2010 at 11:07 PM I love tempeh! It's appearance is a bit odd right out of the package, but don't let that stop you from trying it. I like tempeh better than tofu--the texture is a bit firmer and has a better "mouth feel" to me. Try different brands--they can really vary. It's found by the tofu and is a soy product. I like seitan when I tried it at a cooking class, but when I cooked w/it myself I allowed myself to get weirded out by the appearance. Might be time to try it again!
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lenlin Joined: 12/31/09 Location: Oregon Posts: 43	RE: tempeh or seitan Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 10:52 AM I'm with you Summerperk (also an Oregonian, Yea!!). Seiten was so weird looking. I had trouble with that and then didn't care for the recipe in the January kickstart either. I'm hoping to try it again this time with better results. But I don't miss meats, flavor or "chew factor" so if seiten doesn't do anything for me this time--it's outta here!! Linda Linda
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ladypsylocke Joined: 03/02/10 Posts: 1	RE: tempeh or seitan Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 2:11 PM I love seitan! Love it. I've been a vegan for 4 years and it has been my favorite new food. Tempeh, I just recently got on board with. The first time I tried it I was turned off. But I kept trying a few more things and found a couple of products that I like from tempeh. (Lightlife's Smoky Tempeh strips, Lightlife's Tempehtations....though they have evaporated cane juice) I always recommend that if possible you try a few of the 'strange' or new ingredients at a vegan-friendly restaurant. That way you see how the item is supposed to be prepared (for the most part, and allowing for style/dish variances). And try it at a couple of different places. Then you'll have a better idea of what you might be making. Some good vegan cooking websites are vegcooking.com and theppk.com, I swear by them, but they aren't all healthy recipes so you'll have to watch that. Also, fatfreevegan.com had some good stuff, and those recipes tend to be healthier.
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