Spicy Thai Tomato Seitan Stew

I finally learned how to present rice the way they do in restaurants. The trick is to oil the bowl you plan to use a little and to have very hot, steamy rice. Pack the rice in the bowl, hold the plate you plan to eat on upside down and flip! Easy as that and the presentation is a lot prettier than just scooping rice on a plate.

I made a big batch of seitan, when I made the tacos a couple days ago. So I froze the remaining seitan and defrosted it yesterday night for today's meal. All the ingredients needed should be easy to find except for the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Those you can most likely find at an Asian Market. I am sure they'll have the lemongrass but just in case they don't have the kaffir lime leaves, just substitute it with 1 tablespoon more of minced lemongrass.

As for the rice, I am not a big fan of curry but trust me, when cooked, the rice does not have a strong flavor and just a hint of sweetness from the coconut. I thought it would be have a heavily spiced flavor but it did not. Went perfect with the lemon-ey taste of the stew. The perfect meal to help say good-bye to summer. I can't believe Fall is just 5 days away!

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Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients

* 2 Tb canola oil
* 1 large onion, thinly sliced
* 3 Tb minced garlic
* 2 Tb minced lemongrass
* 2 Tb minced ginger
* 2 serrano chiles, thinly sliced into rounds
* 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
* 1 ( 28 ounce ) can whole tomatoes
* 1/4 cup tamari
* 1 Tb apple cider vinegar
* 1 Tb agave nectar
* 2 kaffir lime leaves
* 1 tsp sea salt
* 1 pound Basic Seitan, cut into 2 by 1/2 by 1/4 inch thick strips ( Recipe Here )
* 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
* 5 1/2 cups Jasmine Rice with Coconut ( Recipe Below )

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, lemongrass, ginger and serrano chiles, and saute for 5 mintues, or until the onion is translucent.


2. Drain the tomatoes and add to the stew, along with the tamari, vinegar, agave nectar, kaffir lime leaves, and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes are very tender and falling apart.


3. Stir in the seitan. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the seitan is heated through, then stir in the basil.

4. Transfer the stew to a bowl and serve with the rice.


Jasmine Rice with Coconut
Serves 6

Ingredients

* 2 Tb toasted sesame oil
* 3/4 tsp curry powder
* 3/4 tsp ground ginger
* 1/8 tsp tumeric
* 1 1/2 cups, uncooked jasmine rice, rinsed well
* 2 1/2 cups water
* 1/2 tsp sea salt
* 1/2 cup yellow corn kernels ( about 1 ear of corn )
* 1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
* 1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrot
* 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
* 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Directions
1. Heat 1 Tb of the sesame oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the curry powder, ginger and tumeric and then the rice.


2. Add the water and salt and bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer gently without stirring for 35 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed.

3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 Tb sesame oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn, bell pepper, and carrot and saute for 2 minutes.


4. Add the coconut and saute 5 minutes longer, or until the coconut is golden and the vegetables are crisp-tender.


5. Transfer the rice to a bowl. Use a fork to fluff the vegetables and almonds with the rice. Transfer to a bowl and serve.



Nutritional Information ( As 4 servings )
Stew without Seitan : 139 calories, 7g fat, 15g carbohydrates, 6g sugar, 1057mg sodium

Seitan : 79 calories, 24g fat, 3g carbohyrdates, 658mg sodium, 13g protein

Jasmine Rice : 258 calories, 60g fat, 32g carbohydrates, 44mg sodium, 8g protein