iEat Green - Nicole Andersen (Pharmacy to Farm)

Nicole Andersen, MS, RDN is Senior Manager, Nutrition Incentives Portfolio, Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She leads the Department’s fruit and vegetable incentive programs including Health Bucks and Pharmacy to Farm Prescriptions. Nicole manages the Department’s Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to support this programming. Nicole has a Master’s of Science degree in nutrition and public health from Teachers College, Columbia University and is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

Basic Seitan

4 cups unbleached white flour

10 cups Whole Wheat flour

2 boxes Vital Wheat Gluten

9 cups water 

1 ½ cup tamari

2” ginger piece

3 pieces kombu

Mix together flour, Vital Wheat Gluten and water to make dough. Knead until stiff, approx 10 min. Place in bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to rest for 10 min.

Meanwhile, bring 10 cups of water to a boil. Add tamari, ginger and kombu. Boil for 15 min. and remove from heat. Allow broth to cool.

Immerse dough in a bowl of warm water and knead to remove starch, constantly changing the water, until it runs clear. (It will take about 8 water changes or more) The final rinse should be in cold water, to tighten the dough.

Separate into 4 equal pieces. Place dough in oiled loaf pans and let rest for 10 minutes. Bring 10 quarts of water to a boil. Add seitan dough and cook for 45 minutes, until the seitan floats in the water. Drain.

Place Seitan in cooled Tamari broth, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours. Drain, saving liquid for storage.

Experiment with different flavors, adding garlic and oregano for Italian food, or more ginger and cilantro for Asian food etc.