Agave and red Thai chili accented seitan crusted with lemon, thyme and pepitas

A sweet and spicy seitan with a flavourful and textured breading (pictured here with potato and kasha salad with kale and mushrooms, a red pepper, cauliflower rose sauce and chives).

Ingredients

For the seitan
3 cups of stock
1/2t of coarse sea salt
1/2 cup of water
2t of agave nectar
1T of tamari
2/3 cup of vital wheat gluten
1/2t of red Thai chili paste (or to taste)
1/4t of ground black pepper
2T of olive oil
Sea salt to taste
For the breading
1 cup of bread crumbs
3T of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of pepitas, finely chopped
1T of lemon juice
1t of dried thyme, rubbed
2t of tamari
1/2t of onion powder
1/2t of garlic powder
1/4t of turmeric
3-4T of unsweetened soy milk
1T of minced chives
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Make the seitan first, then the breading when ready.
For the seitan, bring the stock and sea salt to a light simmer.
Mix the dry ingredients, the remaining wet ingredients, and then the dry with the wet to form a ball of dough.
Knead for 2-3 minutes.
Break the ball in half and form two pieces, and flatten the two out.
Reduce the heat to low and add the seitan to the broth.
Simmer/poach on low for about 30-40 minutes.
Remove from the stock and set both aside to cool.
Once the seitan has cooled a bit, preheat the oven to 400F
Mix the the breading ingredients together until well combined and soft (add additional soy milk as required).
Gently pack the top of the seitan with half of the breading, and repeat for the second piece.
On a well-oiled baking sheet, bake on the middle rack for for 15-20 or until the breading is lightly crispy. Ovens vary; use the colour and texture of the breading as your guide.
When done, remove from the oven, let stand 5 minutes to cool and garnish with chives.