Project: Vegan-ize It! is intended to showcase how easy and possible it is to create a delicious, nutritious and familiar meal without causing harm to others (the animals!). I want to dispel the myth that vegan food is somehow boring!
How it works: First, the participant sends me the recipe of their favorite meal. Perhaps it’s a comfort food, or maybe a traditional family meal. I’ll take that recipe and vegan-ize it, provide you a shopping list, and modify the recipe method to account for any cooking changes that might need to happen with the vegan-ized ingredients. Then the participant cooks and documents their process, fills out a short questionnaire and cost sheet. Last, I post about it! If you would like to participate, please feel free to get in touch with me. If you’re an omnivore looking to add more meatless options, a vegetarian, or a new vegan, this project is for you!
Sarah chose a recipe featuring steak, served with a Korean-style sauce. I suggested she substitute seitan, tofu or Portobello mushroom. That was the only ingredient that needed to be vegan-ized. She chose to prepare the recipe with seitan.
Name: Sarah Pascarella
Location: Somerville, MA
How would you describe your diet?
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Omnivore
What dish did you prepare? Grilled Korean-Style Seitan with Spicy Cilantro Sauce
How easy was it to find the ingredients for the recipe?
- Totally Easy
- Sort of easy, I had to go to a few places
- Really difficult
- I could not find the ingredients
Was preparing the dish more difficult or easier with the vegan ingredients?
- Much easier
- Sort of easier
- Kind of harder
- Totally hard
How did the vegan-ized version of the dish taste? “The vegan-ized version was quite delicious! The primary differences from the original steak recipe were in texture and presentation, not taste. Regarding texture, the seitan was a bit chewier than a steak would be, but we were not turned off by the difference. Regarding presentation, as the seitan comes in strips, the final version we prepared looked more like a stir-fry, rather than a filet of steak. (This could be easily resolved, however, if we go with a portobello mushroom or tofu next time.)
As for taste, the primary flavors were the same, and we didn’t miss the steak. In this recipe, the marinade and cilantro sauce are so delicious that they take center stage, regardless of which protein is being used. We did cut back on the soy in both the marinade and cilantro sauce, though, as we saw the seitan already had soy in it. I’m sure the salt content in this meal was a bit high — another argument for using the portobello next time.”
Did you serve the dish to anyone besides yourself? Who? What did they think? “I ate this dish with my husband, Andy. I prepped the sauces and the seitan, and Andy grilled it and served it over rice. We both enjoyed it and are curious to try it again with the other types of protein Emily suggested!”
How likely are you to always prepare this dish vegan-ized?
- Very likely (I will always prepare it vegan)
- Somewhat likely (I will sometimes prepare it vegan)
- Not at all likely (I will never prepare it vegan)
Please share any further thoughts you might have about your experience. “Because the steak is secondary to the sauces, I think in the future I’ll avoid using meat with this recipe. Why go with meat when it’s just a conduit for sauce? Seems a bit silly (and less healthy) when other options exist.”
Cost breakdown:
Vegan Ingredients
Seitan (2 boxes) $7.38
Cilantro $2.99
Limes (2) $1.38
Habanero pepper $0.79
Total $12.54
Non-Vegan Ingredients
Flank Steak $8.99
Cilantro $2.99
Limes (2) $1.38
Habanero pepper $0.79
Total $14.15
Seitan instead of steak
Marinating the seitan
Grilling the seitan in the grill pan
Dinner is served!
Jersey City Vegan 