Wheat Meat

Now that my report has been submitted and I'm basically just waiting around to see if there are any final edits, I have been thumbing through my How to Cook Everything Vegetarian cookbook to get in mood to cook again. With all of the research and writing going on last week, I didn't have a lot of time to make dinner every night -- although the eggplant parmesan with homemade sauce made for some tasty lunches (and even breakfast).

I decided to try out a recipe for seitan from Bittman's cookbook as an alternative to tofu from time to time. Seitan is high in protein, but has a firmer, almost chewier texture than tofu and can be added to stir frys, sauces, etc. So, I picked up a bag of vital wheat gluten when I went grocery shopping this afternoon. I'm going to try and make seitan tacos tonight to see if Jesse approves.

The cashier at Safeway was very chatty and as it turns out, quite the foodie. He was excited by the swiss chard I had picked out and told me about a delicious recipe for scallops. He also noticed my bag of Bob's Red Mill vital wheat gluten and his eyes lit up. He asked me if I had ever been to the Red Mill store and I said no. Then he proceeded to tell me how it's just down in Milwaukee, OR (just a 10-15 minute drive from here) and that they sell all of their products in bulk. He recommended their date sugar and dried tart cherries.Of course, one of the biggest tips that I've read over and over in my cookbooks, seen PBS cooking shows, and food blogs is that buying in bulk is much cheaper and you often find a variety of grains, and beans that wouldn't necessarily be available at the grocery store.

I just took a look at the website and am amazed at all of the awesome things to try!