Seitan Buffalo Bites with Peppercorn Ranch Sauce

Seitan Buffalo Bites with Peppercorn Ranch Sauce

Ingredients:

Seitan Chicken Bites:

• 1 cup wheat gluten
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup vegetable stock (+2-3 cup for cooking)
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (+1-1.5 L oil for frying*)

 Breading:

Wet:

• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 2 tbsp ground flax
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

 Dry:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp pepper, ground
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 bottle vegan hot sauce
• 1 batch Peppercorn Ranch Dressing

Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients for the seitan together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Combine the wet ingredients for the seitan in a measuring cup.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together until they form a dough. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead on the counter until the dough becomes elastic. Note: You can tell the dough is ready if you press down into it with your finger and it bounces back.
4. Tear the dough into 1" round pieces and nestle them together in the bottom of the pot. Cover them with the remainder of your vegetable stock, put them on the stove and bring them to a boil. When they come to a boil, drop them to a simmer, cover and cook on med-low for 15 minutes.
5. Check them after 15 minutes, and if they are firm to the touch, they are ready. If they are still soft, cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes (or until firm). When they are ready, remove them from the pot and set aside on a cooling rack or baking sheet to cool.

* Not wanting deep fry? These can be baked in the oven on a parchment paper lined pan at 400F for 30 minutes; turning once.

Breading:

1. Combine wet ingredients together in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Set aside for 5 minutes to the let the soy milk curdle and the flax start to bloom.
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
3. Put 1-1.5L of vegetable oil into a large pot with a candy thermometer and put it on high heat. Note: For safety purposes, the oil can only take up 1/4 of the total volume of the pot. When the seitan is added to the hot oil, it will double in volume. You want the oil to reach a temperature of 350F before adding the seitan to it. If you do not have a thermometer, you can test the oil by dipping a piece of breaded seitan into the oil. If the oil bubbles aggressively when the seitan is dipped, then you know it is ready. Do not put the seitan in before the oil is sufficiently hot or it won't crisp up nicely.
4. While the oil is heating up, add the seitan to the bowl with the wet mixture and coat all the pieces. Lift the seitan out of the wet bowl, let any excess batter drip off and add them into the dry ingredients. Coat the pieces evenly and thoroughly in the dry flour mixture.
5. Once the oil is hot, lift the seitan out of the dry bowl with a slotted spoon, knock off any excess flour and place them gently in the oil. Cook for approximately 5 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the oil and set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Transfer to a bowl and toss in the wing sauce. Serve immediately!

Peppercorn Ranch Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews (soaked for 12 hours or overnight, then rinsed and drained)
• 1 cup vegan mayo
• 1/4 cup water (or stock)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1-1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1-1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp cane sugar
• Optional: 1 cup chopped dill