Seitan tacos with homemade salsa and guacamole

One of the great things about eating a plant-based diet is the discovery of new foods. While not typically seen in the regular American diet, seitan is one way to add even more diversity to a plant-based diet. Seitan is a high-protein food made from the gluten of wheat. Prepared well, it has a texture that makes it well suited for dishes where one usually finds meat or chicken.

I had been wanting to make some type of seitan tacos or fajitas for a while and finally came across a recipe for them while browsing Nava Atlas’ The Vegetarian Family Cookbook. I made them over the weekend. I used organic corn tortillas instead of the flour ones that Atlas suggested, jazzed up the filling a bit, and made my own salsa and guacamole, but the broiling technique is from her recipe.

I usually like to make my own seitan using vital wheat gluten (a special kind of flour), but I didn’t want to spend an hour doing that this weekend, so I bought a package of West Soy chicken-style seitan and was pleased with it. I’d definitely buy it again. And I’ll definitely be making these tacos again!

Seitan tacos

Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 3-4

One package of seitan is about right for 3 people. (The package I bought was 1 lb 2 oz, with a “drained weight” of 8 oz.) For four people, this makes a great light meal, but to make it a heartier dish for four, increase the amount of seitan (you could even double it) and/or serve with some refried beans on the side.

Salsa

2 large tomatoes
1 handful fresh cilantro
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Filling

1 package seitan (chicken-flavored), about 8 ounces, chopped to 2-inch strips
1 large or 2 small onions, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cilantro
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
generous amount of freshly grated black pepper

Guacamole

1-2 ripe avocados
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Other

12 corn tortillas

Adjust your oven rack to 6-to-8 inches below the broiler and preheat the broiler. Then prepare the salsa. Chop the tomatoes into large chunks and place them with the other ingredients into a food processor. Pulse a few times until the tomatoes and cilantro are chopped. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the seitan with all the other filling ingredients and mix well. Then spread the contents out on a baking tray or roasting pan. Optionally you can line your pan with aluminum foil. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes. Remove, stir, and broil for 5 more minutes or until the vegetables are cooked and have started to brown around the edges.

To make the guacamole, mash the avocado(s) with a fork and add the lemon juice and hot sauce. Stir to combine.

Warm up the tortillas in the oven for a few minutes after you’ve shut the broiler off.

Serve each person three tortillas filled with the seitan mixture. Top with salsa and guacamole, and enjoy.