Vegan with a Vengeance

Temperature is important here to get the right taste sensations. The noodles and vegetables should be cold as can be, the sauce should be at room temperature, and the seitan should be warm. If you follow the directions you should have no problemo getting it all right. If you aren’t serving immediately and the peanut sauce has been refrigerated, let the sauce sit out till it’s at room temperature.
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    FOR THE PEANUT SAUCE:
    2 teaspoons peanut oil
    2 cloves minced garlic
    2 tablespoons minced ginger
    1 cup water
    2 tablespoons soy sauce
    1 teaspoon ground coriander
    â…” cup smooth all-natural peanut butter
    2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
    3 tablespoons rice vinegar
    2 teaspoons Asian chile sauce (available in the Asian section of most grocery stores; hot sauce is an okay substitution)
    FOR THE SEITAN:
    1 pound seitan (2 cups) sliced into thin (¼-inch) strips
    1 tablespoon peanut oil
    1 clove garlic
    2 teaspoons soy sauce
    TO SERVE:
    10 ounces udon noodles
    Â¼ cup black sesame seeds (optional)
    1 seedless cucumber, halved across, sliced into matchsticks
    4 cups mung bean sprouts
    1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
    2 cups scallions, chopped
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    Several lime wedges for serving
    Make the peanut sauce:
    In a small saucepan, sauté the garlic and ginger in peanut oil over low-medium heat. Add the water, soy sauce, and coriander and bring to a boil. Add the peanut butter and turn the heat to low. Whisk well until the peanut butter and oil are combined. Mix in the maple syrup, vinegar, and chile sauce. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
    Make the noodles:
    Meanwhile, prepare your udon noodles according to the package directions. When noodles have cooked, drain them in a colander and rinse them under cold water until they are cool to the touch. Let them rest in the colander and prepare the seitan.
    Sauté the seitan slices in the peanut oil for 5 minutes on each side or until the seitan is browned and yummy. Then sauté with the garlic for a minute, sprinkle with the soy sauce, and sauté again for 30 seconds or so.
    At this point, your peanut sauce should be at room temperature. Give the noodles a final rinse under cold water to make them cold and also to keep them from sticking together.
    To serve:
    To serve, place the noodles on a large platter. Pour the peanut sauce over the noodles, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Scatter the cucumbers, bean sprouts, and peppers on top, followed by the scallions. Place the warm seitan on top and place lime wedges around the circumference and gosh darn it you’ve got yourself a fine-looking meal. If you would prefer to serve on individual plates to keep the greedy people from stealing all the seitan then just follow the directions dividing everything among four to six plates.

Ethiopia Seitan and Peppers
    SERVES 6
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    New York has some great Ethiopian restaurants but it can’t compare to Philly and DC and I make sure to stop in and eat with my hands whenever I’m traveling. Whenever I tell New Yorkers this they immediately get defensive and begin listing the same two restaurants, as if giving up props to another city might cost us something. Ethiopian food is usually served with injera, but Savory Crepes (page 177) make an easy substitution or you can serve over rice.
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    FOR THE PUREE:
    6 serrano chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped (see Punk Points, page 61)
    1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
    2 cloves garlic, crushed
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    Â¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
    Â¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
    Â¼ teaspoon ground cloves
    Â¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    Â½ cup red wine
    3 tablespoons olive oil
    TO PREPARE THE SEITAN AND PEPPERS:
    2 pounds homemade seitan (page 157), (it should be about 4 cups), cut into 2 × ½-inch strips
    2 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
    Preheat oven to 400°F.
    Place all the puree ingredients in a blender and puree until relatively smooth.
    Place the seitan strips and peppers in a 9 × 13-inch (preferably glass) baking dish; smother with the puree. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, flip the seitan and peppers, and cook for 20 more minutes. Serve with rice and vegetables.

Kabocha Squash Stuffed with Butternut Vindaloo
    MAKES 6 STUFFED SQUASHES
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    Vindaloo is a spicy sweet-and-sour curry. Naturally sweet butternut squash tastes great in this and mellows out the spiciness. If you don’t want to stuff the squashes you