Seitan and Dumplings

yeah, i know. it looks SO appetizing...

Out of fear, my wheat meat attempts have always been baked. Until yesterday. Apparently, in my attempt to avoid falling into the trap of boiled seitan sponginess that I've read of in so many vegan horror stories, I've been missing out on the amazing texture and juiciness of simmered gluten. The Simple Seitan from Veganomicon has changed all of that. It's even easier than my usual baking method and results in a completely different type of seitan that is actually a lot more versatile. I used my own broth recipe and subbed Bragg's for the soy sauce, but followed the recipe other than that and it worked perfectly.

Because I had a big pot of broth that I didn't want to go to waste, I decided to use half of my first batch to make seitan and dumplings. I diced the seitan into cubes, added a few cups of thinly sliced cabbage and tons of black pepper, plopped in the dumplings and dinner was ready. Dumplings are one of my favorite foods ever--I've always loved them with a passion. They are the perfect Fall/Winter food and I guess that making them in 95F weather is my attempt to will Autumn into coming early this year.

Herbed Dumplings
(adapted from allrecipes)
1.5 c. flour
3 T. Earth Balance
3/4 c. soy milk
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. your favorite dried herb(s)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika

Combine all dry ingredients. I vary the herbs I use depending on the dish. Cut in Earth Balance until very crumbly. Gradually pour in milk, stirring just until thoroughly mixed. Drop by heaping rounded tablespoons into broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes. You can cut one in half to test for doneness. Try not to let them come to a boil or overcook them to avoid toughness.