PREHEAT A large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
Cut the seitan into long, thin pieces, slicing off any rounded ends so that they will lay flat. Ideally, the slices should be a little over inch thick, 3 inches long, and 2 inches across, but who is counting?
Coat the bottom of the skillet with oil and let it get hot. Dredge half the seitan slices in flour to coat. Add to the pan and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Proceed to coat the other slices and repeat. Place the cooked seitan slices on a tray or plate covered with aluminum foil, to keep warm. Do not rinse out the skillet or turn the heat off, as you"re going to make the sauce in it.
Bring a pot of water to a boil for the green beans, but don"t boil them just yet. You just want to have the water at the ready.
If there is enough oil left in the seitan pan to saute the shallots and garlic, then do so; if not, add a little oil and saute them for about 5 minutes, stirring often so as not to burn.
Add the white wine to the sauce and raise the heat to bring to a rolling boil. Add the vegetable broth, salt, black pepper, and thyme. Again, bring to a rolling boil and let the sauce reduce by half; this should take about 7 to 10 minutes.
Add the capers and olives to heat through, about 3 minutes. At this point, add the beans to the boiling water and let them cook for 2 minutes, then strain.
Add the parsley and lemon to the sauce and turn off the heat.
To serve: Make a pile of mashed potatoes. Place the seitan over the mashed potatoes and insert the green beans around the seitan, vertically. Use a ladle to douse everything in plenty of sauce. Serve immediately.
BBQ BLACK-EYED PEA-COLLARD ROLLS.
MAKES 12 ROLLS, SERVES 3 TO 4.
TIME: 40 MINUTES.
Black-eyed peas love BBQ sauce and everyone loves rolling things. The combination makes this meal extra special. One bunch of collards should give you enough to prepare this recipe. It"s yummy with mashed potatoes and Jalapeno-Corn Gravy (page 216) or any gravy, really. Prepare the BBQ sauce first and boil water for the collard leaves, then when the BBQ sauce is almost finished, begin cooking the mushrooms and beans. For a really quick and easy meal, prepare the sauce a day in advance.
12 large collard leaves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced thickly
4 cups chopped collards
1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed (1 cups)
3 cups Backyard BBQ Sauce (page 207)
To prepare the collard leaves for this recipe, pick the biggest, prettiest collard leaves of the bunch. Slice off the rough stems and a few inches of the stem that grows into the leaf because, if it"s too stiff, it might make rolling difficult. To do that,that, run the tip of your knife alongside either side of the stem and then slice it.
BRING A large pot of water to a boil.
When the water is boiling, submerge the collard leaves and cover for 6 minutes. When done, use tongs to transfer them to a strainer and let cool. Handle them gently so that they don"t rip.
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms in the oil for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the chopped collards. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until most of the moisture has cooked off. Add the black-eyed peas and cook through. Pour on 2 cups of the BBQ sauce and cook for about 5 more minutes. If it looks watery, turn the heat up a bit and cook a few more minutes.
Let cool just a bit so that you can make the rolls without burning yourself.
Place a collard on a flat work surface with the side that has not been sliced facing you. Place about 2 tablespoons of the black-eyed peas and company in the lower third of the collard. Fold the bottom up over the mixture, then fold in the sides. Roll the collard up, gently but firmly. If the filling is spilling out, remove some of the black-eyed peas and try again.
Continue rolling the remaining collards. When ready to serve, spoon extra BBQ sauce over the rolls.
PINEAPPLE-CASHEW-QUINOA STIR-FRY.
SERVES 4.
TIME: ABOUT 30 MINUTES, NOT INCLUDING COOLING THE COOKED QUINOA.
Love pineapple and wish you could eat it in something other than dessert? Well then, welcome to your pineapple heaven; it"s all here in the South Asian-inspired dish. Quinoa, the high-protein South American grain, is delicately flavored by being cooked in a little pineapple juice, then it"s the base for this colorful and speedy stir-fry featuring crisp veggies, fresh ginger and crunchy cashews. Make the quinoa a day or two in advance, store it in the fridge, and you"ll be able to put this stir-fry in a snap for an easy weeknight dinner. It"s a meal in itself, or serve alongside any marinated and grilled tempeh (page 97) or tofu (page 126).
Hit a deli or grocery store"s salad bar (or produce section) for precut, ready-to-use fresh pineapple.
Use up leftover quinoa in this recipe (but try it just once by cooking quinoa in pineapple juice). For a truly gorgeous dish, use a blend of the white quinoa and the heirloom variety Red Inca, which cooks up a deep russet color. Use about half and half each kind of quinoa and cook them together.
Quinoa: 1 cup quinoa, well rinsed and drained
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup cold water
teaspoon soy sauce
Stir-fry: 4 ounces cashews, raw and unsalted
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 scallions, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 hot red chile, sliced into very thin rounds
-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup frozen green peas or cooked edamame
cup fresh basil leaves, rolled and sliced into thin shreds (just like slicing collard greens)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
10 ounces fresh pineapple, cut into bite-size chunks (about 2 cups)