Seitan Stew and Lemon Teasecake

Ok, truth be told, I got a sudden craving for that beef stew that comes from the can...yes, that stuff. My dad used to feed it to us every once and awhile as a quick dinner with some bread and a salad on the side. I would always devour everything but the meat (I never liked meat very much, even before I was vegetarian), my favorite part being that salty brown gravy with carrots and potatoes suspended in it.

So anyway, I put a lot of thought into re-creating this canned comfort food wonder--and it is awesome! Naturally, seitan was my beef-substitute choice, as it's texture is unbelievably similar. Now, don't go getting all fancy, thinking "I'll add some celery, maybe a bay leaf, some red wine, parsley and oregano." No, no, no. Keep it simple, follow the recipe and your culinary self-control will be rewarded. What's fancy and complex about beef stew anyway?

Ingredients: (For about 4 large servings)

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 garlic clove, chopped
* 2 shallots, finely chopped
* 1 box regular seitan (not the "chicken" version), about 1 1/2 cups, chopped into bite-size pieces
* 2 vegetarian "beef"-style bullion cubes, dissolved in 3 cups hot water
* 1 tablespoon regular tamari
* 1/2 cup V-8 juice or tomato juice
* a few pinches dried thyme
* 2 medium carrots, chopped into large bite-size chunks
* 2 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large bite-size chunks
* 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, combined with 1/3 cup water and shaken in a small jar until smooth and milky.

1.) Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and shallots and saute for about 3 minutes.
2.) Add the dried thyme, seitan, carrots and potatoes. Let this cook for 10-12 minutes, not stirring too frequently, to allow the veggies and seitan brown a little.
3.) Add the V-8 juice and tamari and cook until reduced.
4.) Next, add the 3 cups of water with the bullion dissolved into it. Cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the veggies are tender, but not falling apart.
5.) While stirring with a spoon or whisk, add the flour-water mixture slowly until the stew begins to thicken (you may not need to add the entire amount). Simmer a few more minutes to cook off the flour taste. Oohh..this is almost too good!

Lemon Teasecake...yum. Not very colorful, for sure, but healthy, delicious and easy. I used cashew butter (about 2 tablespoons) instead of the raw cashews. It definitely imparted more of a cashew flavor to the cheesecake than using the raw cashews does, but I think it makes it a little more rich.