Seitan and Bok Choy Stir-Fry over Wild Rice

Wheat meat, it’s what’s for dinner! I decided to work with seitan again, but this time in a bok choy stir fry and a twist on the recipe: adding soy sauce and minced garlic and ginger to the dough. It’s such an amazing meat substitute and really so incredible that vital wheat gluten and water can combine to form the likeness of your favorite style of meat. Not only is it economical, but your meat palate is pleased with that one vegan meal (or more) that we all should be eating a week for our health and to let the environment have a night off from meat production!

If you’re not sure what seitan is, have no fear. I didn’t even know what it was before a suggestion of a friend after I started my Instagram account last May. You can buy it at your local natural market, or you can easily make it on your own. All you do is mix a little vital wheat gluten with water and knead it into a dough for a few minutes. Then you pop it in some broth and cook it for about 45 minutes. Easy, right? The stir-fry recipe that follows is so simple that you can make it in your sleep, so definitely check this one out!

Seitan and Bok Choy Stir-Fry over Wild Rice

Time: 1 Hour
Serves 4

Seitan
2 cups vital wheat gluten
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
4 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 1/4 cups water
4 cups vegetable broth
4 slices of ginger

Wild Rice
4 cups vegetable broth
1.5 cups wild rice

Stir-Fry
1 tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup water
4 heads baby bok choy, trimmed
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2 tbsp light brown sugar

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine vital wheat gluten, garlic, and ginger. Stir in 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 1/4 cups water to combine. Knead dough for about 5 minutes, until the dough is firm. Let dough rest for 5 minutes and cut into 4 even pieces.

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, add vegetable broth, 3 tbsp soy sauce, and ginger slices and bring to a simmer. Add seitan pieces and reduce heat to low for 25 minutes. Flip pieces over, cover, and continue cooking for another 20 minutes, adding more water if needed. Remove from broth and let cool. Thinly slice seitan and set aside.

While seitan cooks, prepare wild rice by bringing broth to a boil. Add rice and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes, until some of the grains have burst open. Drain off any remaining liquid, fluff with a fork, and set aside. Keep warm.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add seitan and season with pepper. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Set seitan aside. 

To the same skillet, add 1/4 cup water and bok choy. Bring to a simmer and cover for 2-3 minutes, until bok choy is tender. Stir in seitan, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and light brown sugar, and cook for 1-2 minutes, until combined. Serve immediately over wild rice. 

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Wild Rice Bowl with Mushrooms, Bok Choy & Soft-Boiled Eggs

How about this delicious wild rice bowl with mushrooms, bok choy, AND soft-boiled eggs? Most of you may have heard that wild rice is healthier for you than white rice, but do you know how much healthier? 

Per 1 cup (cooked) serving, wild rice has 20% less calories (170 vs 210), 75 percent more protein (7g vs 4g), and 300% more fiber (3g vs 1g). Wild rice is also richer in vitamins and minerals, offering more riboflavin, B-6, phosphorous, zinc, and magnesium (although noticeably less folate). Consider this your white rice substitute if you’re watching your calories! 

I’ve been eyeing some wild rice at the store recently, but because Adrian thought he wasn’t a huge fan, I set out to convince him that he was by infusing some of his favorite asian ingredients, including gochjang paste, kimchi, bok choy, and pickled radishes with soft-boiled eggs and mushrooms. The mission was a success! We even tried the recipe separately with quinoa and the wild rice stole the show.

I’m always looking to use nutrient dense ingredients in my cooking, and now, wild rice is finally back in the mix. Woohoo!

Wild Rice Bowl with Mushrooms, Bok Choy & Soft-Boiled Eggs

Time: 45 Minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
3 cups mushroom or vegetable broth
¾ cup wild rice
¼ cup water
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 bunch radishes and greens, radishes cut into ¼ inch thick rounds halved, greens reserved
½ tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp ginger, minced
3 tbsp sesame oil, divided
2 tsp light soy sauce
4 large eggs
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced thin
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cherry bomb or red jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced
2 tbsp gochujang paste
2 tbsp dry sherry
3 large baby bok choy, trimmed and chopped
6 green onions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
¾ cup kimchi 

Directions
In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add rice and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes, until some of the grains have burst open. Drain off any remaining liquid, fluff with a fork, and set aside.

Add water, vinegar, honey, and salt to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir to combine, and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place radishes in a medium bowl and pour over vinegar mixture. Set aside to cool. 

In a small bowl, add ginger, soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat 12 cups water to a low simmer, where the tiny bubbles just barely break the surface. (180F). Add eggs continue to simmer for 6 minutes. Transfer to an ice water bath with a slotted spoon and cool. Remove eggs from ice and gently remove shell, running under cold water to remove any small pieces. Cut eggs in half.

Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned. Stir in garlic and peppers, and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add gochujang and sherry and stir to combine. Add bok choy and reserved radish greens and stir for 3-4 minutes, until greens have wilted. Remove from heat, and stir in reserved ginger-sesame sauce.    

Divide the wild rice between 4 bowls and top with mushrooms mixture, eggs, kimchi, and pickled radishes. Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.