Monday, January 21 Peppersteak Stew (Appetite for Reduction) Rating: 4.5

I’m a sucker for this recipe and I confess, I forgot to make seitan over the weekend, so I had to make a batch right after work and then use it in dinner without letting it cool at all. The seitan recipe that I use whenever I need basic, plain seitan is the one in Veganomicon. (note - the link is slightly different than the printed version) It’s simple to make and the texture is perfect. I was glad we were finally having something that was pretending to be cold weather here in Atlanta, because I really like to make hearty, cozy stews this time of year. Seth hates mushrooms, so instead of the Portobello Peppersteak Stew I just leave out the portobellos and up the seitan a little and make Peppersteak Stew. I can't say it often enough, I love Appetite for Reduction because the recipes are easy, yummy, and yes, healthy. After several times of making this, I can honestly say, I don’t tweak it or modify it at all (other than the ‘shroom thing). It’s perfect as is. I like to serve it over brown rice, but it would be good over mashed potatoes too - or maybe a baked potato or as a sandwich as the book suggests. Just a tip for recipes that call for wine – we don’t really drink wine that often, so I’m not likely to have a bottle on hand to get a random ½ cup or so for cooking, so I buy 4-packs of those little mini bottles. They’re still a little bigger than you’ll need for most recipes, but since you’re just cooking with it anyway, you can buy cheap wine & store the open ones in the fridge until you need them again. No, I wouldn’t offer a glass of that crap to company, especially not after a little while open in the fridge, but for cooking, it’s fine.