The seitan
Few weeks ago, we received organic products from Casa Amella and we had a big crush on their seitan ! They are so DELICIOUS ! <3
By the way if you want to know how I make these balls, look at my recipe, here.
But … what is the seitan and what are the benefits of it?
Mari , our nutritionist friend, explains everything about this delicious and tasty product in a simple way . 🙂
Seitan is a wheat gluten and also called as vegetable meat. It is made by kneading wheat flour, after washing, the starch has to be removed. Then it is boiled with Kombu seaweed and tamari (less sodium soy sauce) to enrich it with vitamins and minerals.
It is a high protein food, low in carbohydrates and fats. Since it has a vegetal origin, does not contain any cholesterol.
It came from Asia and the Japanese people introduced it to the United States around 1940.
It gives a high quality nutritional supplement and an alternative to meat proteins. You can cook with it as a basic ingredient or combine with other vegetables.
One of the advantages of seitan that its cheap. If you do not find it it in the local market, you can easily make it at home as well.
From nutritional point of view, the seitan is really healthy since it does not contain additives or preservatives, which is an important fact for the consumers.
It should be noted that it is not good, if you consume too much, because its high protein level could exceed the amount of protein recommended in a standard diet. Please consult with your doctor!
Moreover to increase its nutritional value you should be combine it with various foods, such as veggies.
The seitan presents a great variety of culinary uses, since it can be used as stuffing for pasta, vegetables, sauces, stews, empanadas, tacos, meatballs, in salads, served with vegetables, legumes, stews etc.
It is important to limit its consumption for people with hypertension, with celiac disease or gluten intolerances.
This product is not essential in a vegetarian diet. Consuming veggies, nuts, seeds and whole grains will cover protein requirements without any problem.
Thanks a lot Mari for your help !!<3
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