VegLite – Healthy Vegan Recipes

Greek souvlaki is the best known Greek food. It’s fast food, like burger in US and pizza in Italy, which you can find pretty much everywhere as there are thousands of souvlaki shops all over Greece and in each neighborhood. It’s usually made with pork or chicken pieces, grilled on a stick or shredded gyro. It is served in pita with potatoes, tomato, lettuce, onion and tzatziki. It’s easy to get a vegetarian or vegan version of souvlaki – just omit the meat and ask for mustard/ketchup instead of the tzatziki. But it won’t taste like the real stuff. My version though of Greek souvlaki does. The key ingredients are seitan and soy tzatziki. Have a beer with it too. Or two.

Ingredients

for the seitan

1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 Tbsp chick pea flour
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup cold vegetable broth
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp salt

extras for sauteing
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion cut in small cubes

In a big cup whisk together vegetable broth, garlic and olive oil.  In a large bowl combine the wheat gluten, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast and all the spices. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and stir well with a spatula until dough leaves side of the bowl. Knead for 5 mins. Let dough rest for 10 min and knead again for one more minute. Place dough on a cutting board and cut into 3 equal pieces. Place seitan in tin foil (cover the entire each piece good, so the foil is secure but not too tied).Place in a steamer basket and steam for 30 mins.  Allow the dough to cool before handling. Place a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil and one small onion cut in small cubes. Cut the seitan in thin strips and saute in the cast iron pan with the onion until brown (about 5-7 minutes).

for the soy tzatziki

2 cups soy yogurt (drained through a cheesecloth for at least 1 hour)
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 big or 2 small cucumbers (shredded and drained from its liquid)

Mix all ingredients together and cool for at least one hour before serving.

Additional ingredients to assemble the souvlaki

french fries
1 tomato, sliced
1 onion, sliced
few lettuce leaves, shredded
whole wheat pittas, grilled for 1 minute before serving

To assemble your souvlaki, place a pita on a piece of tin foil, add the shredded seitan, potatoes, tomato, onion, lettuce and tzatziki, salt and peper to taste and wrap your souvlaki. Enjoy!